Opportunity Haringey - our new Inclusive Economy Plan

What is Opportunity Haringey?

Opportunity Haringey is Haringey Council’s Inclusive Economy Framework. It has been developed through listening to residents and businesses. It sets out how the council will work with local and strategic partners to create an inclusive, more resilient local economy where local businesses can grow and thrive and residents benefit from rewarding, well-paid work.

Our vision is:

 To create a fairer and greener local economy that builds on local creativity to harness Haringey’s strengths

We want to create a circular economy that retains more money within the borough, maximises the benefits for Haringey communities and supports a just transition to net zero emissions. We will promote decarbonisation principles across all business while also growing the number of businesses that operate in the green sector. 

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Why do we need Opportunity Haringey?

Haringey is a borough of opportunities and potential.  We’re fast becoming a celebrated destination for music and sport and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been announced as a host venue for the Euro 2028 football tournament. It is an exciting time for Haringey. 

We have 12,000+ businesses, including 2,000 high street business and two-thirds of residents are educated to NVQ Level 4 and above, which is more than ever before.  But Haringey’s economy has been harder hit by economic downturns in comparison to other London boroughs and takes longer to recover.  Much of the economic inequality is experienced in the north-east of the borough with higher levels of unemployment and deprivation. 

We are determined to increase the number of good job opportunities locally and support our business community to reach their full potential. Opportunity Haringey will allow us to build on borough’s economic strengths, address inequalities and take us another step closer to realising our ambition for a fairer and greener Haringey. 

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Supporting research 

Workshops, 1 to 1 meetings, focus groups and more were held to help inform the evidence base for Opportunity Haringey. Alongside our own research, we commissioned the London Metropolitan University to carry out a focussed study. 

The Haringey Employment Gap research project was carried out in 2023 by London Metropolitan University and is part of the London Met Lab Empowering London initiative, which aims to engage the university with its community partners. 

The project aims to:

• identify those groups in Haringey who experience the highest levels of unemployment
• highlight the barriers they face in accessing jobs
• provide recommendations which are incorporated into Opportunity Haringey

Read the Haringey Employment Gap research project summary report (PDF, 2.1MB).

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Five themes for action

 Working with businesses and partners, we have developed five themes to focus our efforts on: 

• Theme 1 - Job Creation

  • Create and support a Haringey Business Forum 
  • Provide and signpost our businesses to the support they need 
  • Renew our offer on low-cost finance to support business growth and entrepreneurship 
  • Launch a Haringey Business Charter 

• Theme 2 - Investment

  • Bring new investment to the borough 
  • Develop the Visitor Economy

• Theme 3 - Good Work and Skills

  • Reshape Haringey Works and Haringey Learns 
  • Meet employer and future skills demand 
  • Adopt a Social Value Statement 
  • Create skills and training opportunities within the council 
  • Focus on green jobs - e.g. construction, health and social care, creative and retrofit jobs

• Theme 4 High Streets and Industrial Estates

  • Encourage entrepreneurship through our vibrant local markets 
  • Champion the Creative Economy 
  • Promote business-to-business networks and opportunities 
  • Promote the vibrancy of our town centres, high streets and industrial estates 

• Theme 5 Works Places and Spaces

  • Support the networks we need to deliver high-quality workspace 
  • Promote quality workspace provision 
  • Encourage the delivery of additional workspace across the borough 

Take a look at the Opportunity Haringey report (PDF, 9.4MB)

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Making it happen 

The council will work in collaboration with the community and local and strategic partners to develop and take forward all the priority actions.

We will also produce an annual Opportunity Haringey economic report. This will be an opportunity to review progress, speak to stakeholders and understand emerging trends to ensure Opportunity Haringey remains relevant and fit for purpose.

Together, we can turn our vision and ambitions for Haringey into a reality.

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