Report: Integrated Water Management Plan June 2023 (Accessible Version)

Foreword

We have a vision, and we are on a journey. We are determined to become a greener, fairer and more prosperous place driven by opportunities in all localities across the city region. The Greater Manchester Strategy provides a clear direction of travel for our city region and is focused on those areas where we need to work together to achieve our shared vision and where collective action is required: better air quality and natural environment, pride in our places to drive investment into our growth locations and resilient to a changing climate which will enable safe and vibrant communities.

Whilst the climate emergency affects us all, it is the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities who are often the least responsible for causing climate change who are experiencing the worst impacts, be that at a global scale in developing countries, or closer to home in our deprived communities. These communities often have the least capacity to adapt and respond.

Greater Manchester is connected by water and its associated rich cultural and historical traditions. The Irwell, Roch, Medlock, Tame and Goyt Valleys, Dovestone Reservoir, Manchester, Bolton and Bury canal and the Wigan and Leigh Flashes are places of importance for people.

As a principle, rainwater should be managed as a resource to be valued for the benefit of people and the environment through retaining it within the environment as close as possible to where it lands. While there has been progress over recent decades in reducing risk, increasing drought resilience and improving water quality, pollution remains at an unacceptable level.

The latest Greater Manchester devolution deal creates the conditions to support and enable transformation in how we work, plan and deliver together to achieve integrated water management. There is no better time for us to overcome the challenges of integration in water management. Now is the time for us to deepen our collaboration and partnership to develop new ways of working together that will enable us to meet these challenges head on.

We need to grow and mature our partnership working and by working together we can realise the benefits. Significant investment is on the horizon from a water management perspective linked to water quality, flood risk and place making, along with associated sectors such as transportation and strategic growth locations that massively influence water management and offer a potential to co-fund and co-deliver. Its key that we have the collective support and desire to make this change across the region, with the appetite to grow locally our skills and resource base so we are fit for the future challenge.                                                                                     

1. Executive Summary

In Greater Manchester we have a major opportunity to tackle emerging and historical water, wider infrastructure and societal challenges in an integrated way. Through water and wider infrastructure investment, such as housing, transportation and power, we believe it is possible to achieve far greater integrated and connected delivery of multiple types of investment. It will be important to integrate and embed these within the identified strategic growth locations to leverage multiple benefits.

Earlier this year Greater Manchester’s Mayor and ten Leaders agreed a seventh devolution deal with the Government - securing much greater influence over crucial policy areas. The Deal further embeds the role of local decision- making through additional powers, new financial freedoms and new accountability arrangements. It is a vote of confidence in devolution and Greater Manchester’s ability to deliver.

By working together, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Environment Agency (EA) and United Utilities (UU) partnership can deliver more benefits for Greater Manchester’s citizens by improving place, the environment and reducing costs to deliver. We will do this through Integrated Water Management (IWM).

IWM is a people-centred process of planning, operating and maintaining all aspects of water systems. The process is intrinsically linked to the concept of sustainable development by the complex interactions between natural ecosystems and urban infrastructure.

Our ambition by 2050 is to transform how we, the IWM partnership, manage water as a natural asset.

• Create climate resilient places, whereby our infrastructure will be resistant to our changing climate

• That we respond and adapt to flooding and droughts, ensuring local people understand risk to themselves and know their responsibilities to help manage them

• Increase capacity and collaboration throughout the water management sector

We will achieve this through our Integrated Water Management Plan, which represents a unique opportunity to collaborate in the development of a new way of working together that will enable us to meet these challenges head on.

The IWM journey will enable the short- term joining up of resources, system and opportunities to enable integrated long-term planning and co-delivery in the future.

Our vision is

 “Working together, we will manage Greater Manchester’s water wherever it falls, to enhance the environment, support people and forge prosperous places”.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) recognised by the United Nations include:

 “Ensure safe drinking water and sanitation for all, focusing on the sustainable management of water resources, wastewater and ecosystems.”

Description of Figure 1- Partnership maturity

The Integrated Water Management Plan will have increasing value over time as we move from joining opportunities to integrated planning to integrated planned delivery.

In 2023:

• Partnership with the right mindset, skills, capacity and tools shaped and formed

• Embed approach to bring opportunities together from multiple stakeholders

In 2025:

• Partnership develops approach to enable and create integrated planning

• Programme of integrated opportunities created (and evolves)

In 2029 and Beyond:

• Partnership develop approach to enable integrated delivery

• Maturity enables greater interaction with businesses to form wider integrated opportunities

We want to mature the Partnership to achieve the following:

1. Integrated spatially aligned plan of opportunities from across water and non water creating greater value

2. An integrated future plan of schemes for Greater Manchester

3. An integrated delivery partnership for Greater Manchester

Our priority actions are:

• Extend the draft opportunities programme to create a live programme of opportunities and track progress of integration and value created

• Develop a strategy for engagement and communication that ensures multi-level awareness and advocacy of the IWMP and its ambitions

• Develop governance, roles, job descriptions and resource plan. Appoint resources in data analysis, opportunity evaluation and brokering

• To scope and then create the digital platform to allow the transparency and visibility to support future decision making

• Extend the existing collaboration agreement to create and sign up to a data sharing agreement

From the analysis undertaken there are over 100 water investment locations where 3 or more opportunities have the potential to be integrated opportunities across the 10 local authorities. The Partnership will appoint the resources required to develop an integrated programme which will be prioritised, by the assigned resources to enable these to be further investigated, brought together and delivered.

There will be a need to produce an annual business plan, this process will start in late September each year and will capture the priorities, actions and resources required for the next funding cycle to move the Integrated Water Management Plan forward.

Description of Figure 2 - Our journey to 2050

The timeline sets out our short-term actions to develop the delivery plan and our high-level ambitions to 2050

2023:

• We have developed our integrated programme and started to implement quick wins
• Have in place the joint pool of resources to deliver the IWMP
• Embedded the digital tools to visualise and manage the programme of opportunities and value
• Work together in the co-creation of a future of integrated investment spatial plan

 2024:

• Created the maturity to enable greater interaction with businesses to form wider integrated opportunities
• Sharing our ways of working across other regions
• We have the governance principles that allows cross-organisational decision-making within a wider strategic context
• Have a clearer plan for working with Academia, Higher Education and Schools to meet the skills and resource needs of the future
• We have leveraged additional funding to deliver wider benefits

2025:

• Measured the benefits leveraged through IWM in Greater Manchester to provide the evidence needed to lobby government
• Grown the partnership beyond GMCA, UU and the Environment Agency

2030:

• Partnership develop approach to enable integrated delivery
• We have influence policy and made changes to support IWM
• Have a network of organisations that are part of a thriving Academy supplying the training and resource needs of the sector
• Ensured new developments incorporate sustainable drainage systems which seek to maximise nature-based solutions and delivers a 10% BNG, including multifunctional benefits

2040:

• We will have implemented 60% of schemes needed to improve water quality in line with Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP)
• All new development will be ‘net zero water’ developments

 2050:

• We will achieve 90% of the predicted objectives for our waterbodies as identified in the NW RBMP
• Our water supplies that are secure for people, nature and businesses by reducing household water use to 110 litres per person per day and non-household use by 15%. A reduction in leakage by 50% will further support water security
• No net increase in homes or businesses at risk from flooding from any source when considering the effect of climate change

2. The need for an Integrated Water Management Plan

2.1 Water management challenges that are affecting people, place and prosperity

The changing climate is affecting local and regional weather patterns. This is placing water supplies under increasing pressure from periods of dry weather (as experienced in 2021 and 2022) and increasing risk of flooding, impacting our communities, infrastructure and water environments.

Greater Manchester sits in a natural bowl. This results in a flashy response to rainfall events, in which water levels rise rapidly, and flood risk can come from areas upstream in the river catchments. The underlying soils in Greater Manchester prevent rainwater soaking away, contributing to the risk of flooding from surface water; intensified by impermeable surfaces in urban areas. This contributes to the inundation of the local sewerage system, which was historically designed to receive rainwater, but today cannot cope with the intensity and volume of rain our changing climate is creating, leading to polluted water spilling into our rivers.

Pressures on water resources are increasing due to urban growth, population growth, increased living standards, growing competition for water, and pollution aggravated by climate change and variations in natural conditions. Water is both transferred to and moved around the network in Greater Manchester which requires energy and generates carbon.

The watercourses in the urban areas of Greater Manchester have been heavily modified since the start of the Industrial Revolution which has resulted in changes in land use, sediment transfer and river morphology. Historic structures, created for now redundant industrial processes, present barriers to improving our water environment, such as weirs and culverts. Reversing this will mean ensuring these barriers are removed and helping nature recover. There will be a strong alignment with the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Greater Manchester.

In urban centres, natural watercourses have a significant role in generating and sustaining economic growth whilst providing a unique opportunity to contribute to the quality of the local natural environment. They provide critical ecosystem services in reducing the urban heat island effect and mitigating air pollution, particularly when enhanced by planting. The natural capital approach values nature, including water, as an asset, or a set of assets, which benefit people, place and the environment. Having plentiful supplies of water for our people and our economy, ensuring the quality of water for wildlife and recreational use, and managing flood risk all underpin our objectives moving forward. However, benefits are difficult to quantify in direct comparison to traditional ‘grey’ infrastructure solutions as outputs are very situation- specific dependent upon the intervention, situation, location, surroundings, soil type and more. In Greater Manchester water management is divided across numerous organisations with each responsible for managing a specific component of the water cycle and governance arrangements. United Utilities, the Environment Agency, the Combined Authority (GMCA) and the Local Authorities work in different investment cycles and human resource silos. Society has a role to play in reducing the demands placed on our most precious resource, which consequently is our cheapest; though with many areas experiencing high levels of deprivation and the cost-of-living crisis affecting people’s daily lives, this will impact the pace of change.

Under the Flood and Water Management Act, 2010 Local Authorities were given significant new responsibility for delivering local flood risk management. In an era of budgetary constraints this remains a significant challenge competing with other Local Authority priorities and funding for both capital and resource to deliver their statutory duty under the Act.

It is difficult to plan long term with a year-on-year funding approach for Local Authorities when trying to align with other longer-term programmes that other organisations (EA, UU) work to. This has not been addressed through the recent devolution deal and a more innovative approach is needed to fund local flood risk management, considering alternative means of funding and integrating flood risk management with other drivers such as the Water Framework Directive and urban regeneration that can deliver multiple benefits. Casting the funding net as wide as possible increases opportunities for funding that, historically, have not been considered.

Despite these challenges, water is a fundamental asset and the foundation to our quality of life. It is consumed, supports critical industries, enhances places and economies whilst ensuring we have a healthy environment that supports wellbeing for all. The prosperity of Greater Manchester and its ability to thrive is dependent on the essential services provided by the water environment but it will be the means through which climate change impacts are experienced.

The way forward is to establish an Integrated Water Management (IWM) approach in Greater Manchester and devolution will help to facilitate this innovative thinking through the integrated water management approach outlined in this plan.

2.2 Integrated Water Management (IWM) in Greater Manchester

It is not as easy as it should be to integrate water management, but it is critical we make bold steps towards it. To make the most of what we have, in terms of water as a resource and the resources we have to manage water, we can leverage wider benefits.

We need greater focus on understanding how our systems and responsibilities align to enable us to work collaboratively to manage water at all scales, from the strategic to the tactical.

Whilst there are many components to IWM, the initial focus is to bring together the opportunities of projects and needs that spatially align to identify co- created and co-funded schemes.

At the Mayoral Roundtable 2022

It was discussed that Integrated Water Management (IWM) is a collaborative approach to the way we plan for and manage all elements of the water cycle (reflecting and managing issues specific to place). It is a multidisciplinary approach relating to planning, development, operational and tactical decisions to influence the water cycle and integrate opportunities to deliver shared outcomes.

2.3 Leveraging the opportunity that is here now

Since 2021, there have been legislative changes that support the need to work together to leverage the opportunities presented.

In 2021, the government published supplementary guidance to HM Treasury Green Book on Enabling a Natural Capital Approach (ENCA) for policy and decision makers to help them consider the value of a natural capital approach.

The Environment Act (2021) has introduced targets related to overflows and wastewater treatment which means that managing surface water and removing it from the sewerage network will be required. The Act provides a framework to do this using sustainable methods with a low carbon footprint and benefit biodiversity and place. This is reinforced in:

• National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy for England (June 2022)
• The National Infrastructure Commission’s Recommendation on Surface Water Flooding (November, 2022)
• The Government’s review of the benefits and impacts of making sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) a legal requirement for new developments (January, 2023)
• The Government’s Environment Improvement Plan (January, 2023)

The ‘trailblazer’ devolution deal for Greater Manchester commits the City Region to act as a test bed to explore best practice approaches in integrated water management and to test the ambitions outlined in the UK Government Resilience Framework. This provides greater independence in investment planning and delivery, provides further momentum by creating the right conditions to support and enable the transformation needed in how we work, plan and deliver together whilst addressing the water management, climate resilience and growth challenges across the City Region.

We will extract value from existing portfolios of water investment, such as FCERM and WINEP. The main portfolios of investment brought into the IWM plan are the Environment Agency’s (EA) FCERM programme, which amounts to a spend of ~£145m over a 6-year period, and United Utilities (UU) AMP8 WINEP investment of ~£400m to address Storm Overflows (SOs) across Greater Manchester by 2030. The IWM will look to leverage further funding, both within the EA and UU, along with wider external sources including transport initiatives and private sector investments.

Now is the time to develop and implement an Integrated Water Management plan that takes advantage of these optimum conditions. We will develop new, sustainable and effective ways of working that will solve our water and environmental challenges, leveraging more value from investments in water quality, flood risk, transportation and regeneration and support growth across the City Region.

The Government’s Plan for Water (April 2023) states:

“A clear and robust framework underpins our whole management of the water sytem. Thre current water and floods policy and legal framework has been developed incrementally over time, resulting in over 15 national plans and strategic documents. Whilst each plan has its own purpose, we want to make the whole framework more outcome-focussed and fully integrated with other enviornmental plans and governmnet delivery plans. This will ensure efficient delivery of our water policies on the ground across catchments and an increase in the use of nature-based solutions.” To do this the Government “will better integrate water and flood planning by reforming River Basin Management Plans and flood risk management planning – ensuring integration with water company plans.”

2.4 Our Story

In September 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Environment Agency, and United Utilities, creating the first Partnership looking to manage water differently across the city region. By working collaboratively, the partnership will deliver progressive improvements in sustainable water management, enhancement of the natural environment and ensure all future developments and critical infrastructure are resilient to flooding and the impact of climate change.

At the Mayoral Roundtable on the 30 September 2022, it was agreed that GMCA, UU and EA should produce an Integrated Water Management Plan (IWMP) to draw together a collective vision, objectives, and actions, and identify accountability and capacity for delivery.

2.5 The Plan

Our experience of working across partnerships in elements of water management tells us, it is easier to plan out how we will work from the start rather than try and create whilst delivering. We have developed our vision, ambitions and objectives by analysis, drawing on key words and themes from the review of local and national plans, strategies and policies.

2.5.1 Our Vision

IWM represents a unique opportunity to collaborate in the development of a new way of working together that will enable us to meet challenges head on. Our vision is that “working together, we will manage Greater Manchester’s water wherever it falls, to enhance the environment, support people and forge prosperous places”.

We will achieve this through;

Breaking down the barriers

• Collaboration to break barriers to managing water in an integrated way to enable the delivery of sustainable growth in Greater Manchester

• Identifying innovative solutions and combining efforts with public and private investors to deliver more

Creating multiple benefits

• Ensuring that all interventions consider water neutrality, flood resilence, water quality improvement and build in climate adaptation

• Aiming to maximise multifunctional blue-green infrastructure, restore natural function and water landscapes, protecting and valuing biodiversity and the water environment

• Minimising carbon through working together to minimise disruption and grey infrastructure

Business and the community become an important part in creating the value

• Involving businesses and community stakeholders to deliver resilient, diverse, and inclusive public spaces

• Creating opportunity and access for jobs and skills needed for integrated water management

2.5.2 Ambitions

By 2050 we will be:

• Forging prosperous places: Places across Greater Manchester will be sustainable and climate resilient which will support economic growth
• Working together: working as a partnership we will ensure that planning and decisions are integrated across Greater Manchester to ensure that investment delivered multifunctional benefits
• Managing Water: In the face of a changing climate the partnership will ensure that action is taken to continually improve people and places resilience to the impacts of flooding, drought and pollution
• Enhancing the environment: Water management interventions will preference nature-based solutions; creating green, vibrant places across the city region
• Supporting people: Increased access to nature will bring health and wellbeing benefits alongside an increase in skills and jobs to support Greater Manchester green economy

2.5.3 Objectives

To enable our vision, we have our objectives:

By 2030 we will:

• Improve the water environment by meeting storm overflow reduction targets for 35% high priority sites in Greater Manchester
• Have worked together to invest more than £1bn to reducing flood risk and improve water quality
• Have leveraged an additional £200m benefit from more than £1.2bn investment in Transport, Regeneration and other infrastructure investment programmes

Description of Figure 3 - Workstreams to support the development of IWM

Workstream 1:  Living Integrated Opportunity Programme

Workstream 2: A Digital Platform

 Workstream 3: Adaptive policies and standards

Workstream 4: The Partnership

Workstream 5: Skills and Resources

Workstream 6: Integrated Investment Plan

Workstream 7: Marketing and Engagement

The Seven Workstreams

• Have a network of organisations that are part of a thriving Academy supplying the training and resource needs of the sector
• Consistently be developing integrated investment plans with water and environmental outcomes at their heart
• Ensure new developments incorporate sustainable drainage systems which seek to maximise nature- based solutions and delivers a 10% BNG, including multifunctional benefits
• Be engaging with local communities to raise awareness and build on local ownership of environmental issues, leading to sustained behavioural change

By 2040 we will:

• Have reduced nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution from agricultural run off to the water environment by 40% from the 2018 baseline
• Ensure all new developments are ‘water positive’ or defined as ’net zero water’ developments.
• Have reduced phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80% by 2038 against a 2020 baseline, with an interim target of 50% by 31st January 2028
• Require water companies to have eliminated all adverse ecological impact from sewage discharges at all sensitive sites by 2035, and at all other overflows by 2050.
• We will have implemented 60% of schemes needed to improve water quality in line with Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP)

By 2050 we will:

• We will achieve 90% of the predicted objectives for our waterbodies as identified in the NW RBMP’
• Have created the environment where all our people will be living within one mile of a blue and green space
• Have water supplies that are secure for people, nature and businesses by reducing household water use to 110 litres per person per day and non-household use by 15%. A reduction in leakage by 50% will further support water security
• Have a net reduction in homes or businesses that are at risk from flooding from any source when considering the effect of climate change
• Have targeted a level of resilience to drought so that emergency measures are needed only once in 500-years.

In delivering these objectives we will contribute to the targets within the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

2.5.4 Workstreams which form the Plan

Building on the vision and objectives, and through partnership working and shared experiences, we have developed a series of workstreams to support the development of the IWM, see description of Figure 3. Each workstream has further detail and plans summarised in section 3.

 2.5.5 Connectivity between Workstreams

To be successful, the workstreams within our plan cannot work in isolation from each other and it is important to recognise the connection and strength of relationship between them, as shown below.

The maturity of the Living Integrated Opportunity Programme workstream underpins the success of the other workstreams. The workstreams will need to be adaptive and flexible to cope with uncertainties, particularly related to opportunities that arise and the potential for growth as new organisations focusing on IWM join the Partnership. An annual review of each workstream will be undertaken with the actions in Section 3 updated to form an annual business plan to continue the roadmap of maturity for IWM. Our plan will be operationalised to create the environment to achieve successful integrated water management.

Description of Figure 4 - Connective and strength of relationship between workstreams

The workstreams that are interdependent on each other to be successful are:

• Workstream 1 (Living Integrated Opportunity Programme) and Workstream 6 (Integrated Investment Plan)

• Workstream 1 (Living Integrated Opportunity Programme) and Workstream 4 (The Partnership

• Workstream 2 (Digital Platform) and Workstream 4 (The Partnership)

• Workstream 3 (Adaptive policies) and Workstream 4 (The Partnership)

• Workstream 4 (The Partnership) and Workstream 6 (Integrated Investment Plan)

Workstreams that have the ability to influence each other:

• Workstream 1 (Living Integrated Opportuntiy Programme) and Workstream 3 (Adaptive policies and standards)

• Workstream 4 (The Partnership) and Workstream 5 (Skills and Resources)

• Workstream 4 (The Partnership) and Workstream 7 (Marketing and Engagement)

Workstreams that require awareness and knowledge sharing between each other:

• Workstream 2 (Digital Platform) and Workstream 5 (Skills and Resources)

• Workstream 2 (Digital Platform) and Workstream 7 (Marketing and Engagment)

3. Delivering the IWMP through Workstreams

3.1 WORKSTREAM 1 – The living Integrated Opportunity Programme

3.1.1 What do we mean?

We want to deliver more outcomes and create greater value for our communities and the environment by bringing together opportunities from partners and stakeholders. A programme approach is being developed to integrate into existing activity, predominantly growth location development. The opportunities that may address a risk (e.g., flooding/pollution) or meet a need (e.g., growth location) have traditionally been considered, designed, funded and delivered in isolation. Our IWMP will change that, by creating the Living Integrated Opportunity Programme. Its purpose is to:

• Join opportunities up that align spatially

• Drive investments and solutions that reduce capital/ carbon expenditure compared to traditional solutions

• Leverage funding from other sources where there is an alignment in objectives

• Challenge the potential to be delivered at the same time or at better times that enable the integration and implementation of schemes, on the ground

We recognise that there are funding timescale constraints that may not align in the medium term, but we will follow the growth locations approach to agreeing broad boundaries and draft delivery plans to confirm projects and timescales.

This programme of opportunities will provide the basis to create schemes that may be delivered together, may bring funding together but will be co-created and ideally co-designed to realise the wider benefits. Examples of the opportunities that might be considered for integration include:

• Flood risk management

• Improving river health, such as reducing storm overflows

• River restoration

• Strategic growth locations and associated Local Investment Frameworks

• Highways, cycleways, footpath refurbishment

• Urban regeneration and public realm improvement works

What we have done already:

• Undertaken high level assessment of opportunities to integrate by collecting programmes of opportunities from the Enviornment Agency, GMCA, and United Utilities.

• Identified there are over 100 water investment locations where 3 or more opportunities have the potential to be integrated. However, across a combined view of water and/or non-water investment locations, there are potentially 300 locations to investigate where there is a predicted 1 in 30 year flood risk.

• Drafted the outline process to assess opportunities and shape how we work together.

• Drafted criteria to evaluate opportunities.

• Identified key components and enablers to drive consistency and support the brokering and delivery of opportunities, including resource needs.

To create the programme we need to have visibility of the opportunities, evaluate them against agreed criteria and where appropriate, join them up to create integrated opportunities. We recognise that the programme will flex overtime, especially as new opportunities may arise that were not known from existing partners and stakeholders. Hence, we need a guiding approach that provides a structured and consistent way of working that supports key roles in the partnership, such as the Opportunity Integrator along with other staff in the partners organisations and stakeholders who will be working together, co- creating schemes to implement.

Such a guiding approach will help to:

• Examine the data collected from partners, utilising outputs to commence and support conversations about aligning opportunities

• Provide a way to evaluate the opportunities against our objectives to demonstrate the potential value of integrating them

• Broker the joining up of opportunities, negotiating the timing of delivery and funding contributions

Underpinning the guiding approach is the data and the platform in which it is held in. Analysis of the data, and its presentation in the platform, will enable brokers, partners and wider stakeholders to see opportunities when they have been evaluated and if they have been integrated to form part of the Living Integrated Opportunities Programme.

So what will we see delivered? We may see one large scheme that is co-created, co-designed, co-funded and co-delivered. Or, it might be we have co-ordinated in design phases, so schemes align with each other whilst delivered by individual organisations.

How will value be delivered? The key route to delivering enhanced outcomes for the water environment will be through the following:

• Extracting extra value from existing portfolios of water investment, such as FCERM and WINEP

• Creating new value from investment in other sectors, g., transport and regeneration

• Supporting the local authorities (including the Lead Local Flood Authorities) with delivery of existing and future projects and/or helping to align project business cases with environmental outcomes and/ or leveraging of additional funding.

• Implementing existing and new policy commitments g., SuDS, changes to national flood policy, growth locations or reviews of Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans.

• Taking a catchment approach – reducing the risk in one Local Authority by delivering interventions and projects in another.

3.1.2 Benefits it will bring and to who

The people and the environment of Greater Manchester will benefit from less disruption, greater value for every £ spent in the region and bigger and wider multiple benefits, as a result of identifying and delivering integrated opportunities.

By having a programme of opportunities, we can start to measure the success and the impact co-working, co-creation, co-funding and co-delivery is having on reducing the cost and carbon to deliver, creating natural capital and wider social value benefits i.e. the reduced disruption, increased engagement and more.

The programme will support our approach to planning collaboratively across Greater Manchester, with visibility to partners and their respective departments, councillors, communities and interest groups. Having visibility of opportunities, how they may progress to become integrated and how the programme will support better resource planning. Visibility of opportunities and the success of joining them together will also provide evidence and material to encourage more opportunities to be shared and planned together in the future, linking with the marketing and engagement workstream.

Integrating opportunities has the potential to deliver greater benefits than previously planned. The ambition is to deliver improvements beyond what the schemes in isolation would bring. For example, combining regeneration with enhanced blue-green infrastructure that may benefit overflow reduction, but designed in a way to also support an increase in flood resilience.

3.1.3     Actions required

 

Action	Progress	Next Step	Complete by
Sharing of opportunity data across partners and stakeholders	Several water data sets have been shared	Further data identified to be collected. Protocol to gain regular updates to be developed along with the collation of data opportunities from wider stakeholders (ad-hoc)	October 2023
Analysis of data to identify potential opportunities across partners	Evaluation undertaken of current data sets to identify the early potential for opportunity integration	Further and more detailed analysis required, including with wider data sets to provide the starting point to evaluate the potential to integrate opportunities Regular updates of analysis undertaken manually until tool ready to automatically analyse	July 2023 (ongoing to October 2023).
Develop roles, resourcing requirements and appoint resources in data analysis, opportunity evaluation and brokering	Role outlines developed and likely resource requirements scoped	Review, update and agree across partnership. Pre-mortem roles and how they interact with partners and projects, amending as appropriate, prior to advertising and appointing. Agree where roles sit, how they are funded and assign level of authority	August 2023
Develop roles, resourcing requirements and appoint resources in data analysis, opportunity evaluation and brokering	Role outlines developed and likely resource requirements scoped	Appoint to role	December 2023
Establish a process to support and facilitate the delivery of the Living Integrated Opportunity Programme	Draft high level process created outlining way of working and components, including what, why, how and performance metrics required for reporting to the partnership and board	Test, evolve and embed the process and its application on opportunities identified across partners to integrate opportunities and commence forming the programme which will grow overtime. Connected with new roles identified above.	August 2023
Establish a process to support and facilitate the delivery of the Living Integrated Opportunity Programme	Draft high level process created outlining way of working and components, including what, why, how and performance metrics required for reporting to the partnership and board	Embed process (and take on learning from live application)	March 2024 (ongoing)
Build the Living Integrated Opportunity Programme and track its progress and maturity of integrated opportunities.	Early quick wins have been identified that would form part of the Living Integrated Opportunity Programme	Commence the building of the Living Integrated Opportunity Programme. Create a live programme of opportunities and track progress of integration and value created. Identify missed opportunities, to learn from	August 2023

3.2 WORKSTREAM 2 – Digital Platform

3.2.1     What do we mean?

The digital platform will be an online environment that facilities the interactions and transactions between the partner organisations. It will facilitate collaborative activities in an integrated manor through the accessibility of shared digital tools and data.

For integrated water management to be successful, substantial amounts of data will need to be shared and analysed; enabling decisions to be made and monitoring to be undertaken. The data we bring together and analyse within the digital platform will enable opportunities from partners, and in the future other stakeholders, to be understood and visible. As the requirements for the platform develop, it may have various levels of visibility related to the organisations using the platform.

It is expected the digital platform will consist of shared tools, either already developed by the partners or evolved together, and data repositories that are managed by the partners individually or collectively. There may be a need to develop and/or purchase new tools or collect new data but the ethos will focus upon leveraging what is already available and managed by the partners and their collaborative supply chains.

Being clear on what data, both minimum and ideal, is needed to support current and future decision making and recognising that this will evolve over time needs to be considered from the outset. The initial focus will be to establish what are the minimum datasets (and their quality) that are needed to enable collaboration activities to commence in a more integrated manner. In parallel to this, translating the analytical requirements will be undertaken, using the work already completed as part of the Living Integrated Opportunity Programme.

We are defining the platform user requirements that will support the partners to develop the capability and capacity to develop, manage datasets and support existing and new tools. The development of the platform will focus on the following areas:

• Data sharing and governance

• Collaboration tools

• Communication tools/websites

• Data Visualisation

• Analysis and Screen Tools

• Monitoring and Evaluation

 What we have done already:

• Digital Survey completed with responses from all partners

• Understanding of available digital tools and high-level needs from the partners

• Initial prioritisation of activities to develop the digital platform formulated

• Early understanding of the short term needs to support he creation of the Living Integrated Opportunities Programme

3.2.2     Benefits it will bring and to who

The first key benefit that the platform brings is providing a sole source of information to support decision making and progress tracking. As there are 1000s of potential opportunities, the platform will implement the processes developed as part of the Living Integrated Opportunities Programme. This will support the partners initially and the Opportunity Integrators to focus and prioritise which opportunities to target that could become integrated.

Through data visualisation and analysis to rapidly identify synergies at various stages of project development, the platform will enable partners to collaborate, add value and ensure multiple partner objectives can be delivered. The benefits will be:

• Identify common areas of challenge and opportunity across the catchment to focus on developing integrated opportunities

• Identify upstream projects that can be delivered to benefit the wider downstream catchment area

• Support and automate, where possible, monitoring activities to demonstrate impact and provide useful insight to future integration

• Allow rapid analysis of issues and appraise options to determine their impact and help define solutions within integrated opportunities

• Reduce effort by sharing and managing data and tools across the partnership and mitigate duplication of data management, digital tool development and cost

• Support collaboration and transparency between partners using shared tools and data

• Provide a common and consistent base to communicate with the residents of Greater Manchester

Residents of Greater Manchester will benefit from having:

• Clear communication of activities, progress and journey the IWM is undertaking to create water resilience.

• Support communication and engagement between the partners and residents

• We will define the high level functionality i.e. workstreams, user journeys, etc. and non- functional needs i.e. security, data management, storage, integrations etc. associated with 2023 priorities: collaboration, communication portal/website, and visualisations.

3.2.3     Actions required

 

Action	Progress	Next Step	Complete by
Create and sign up to data sharing agreement	Not started	Explore existing agreements developed by each partner and their capacity to be refined to support a collaborative and efficient data sharing approach. This includes who and what data will be shared as the IWMP becomes more visible and opportunities to collaborate are published and stakeholders share their opportunities	September 2023
Define existing digital tools and how they may be used	Started to review tools and how they may be used	Deeper exploration of the capacity of these tools to be shared and their roadmap for future development	July 2023
Define the data mapping & needs to enable the Living Integrated Opportunity Programme	Started through engagement to define requirements of the platform	Building on initial understanding, confirm the data assets held and managed by each partner. Outline the immediate data needs that could support near future collaboration. Outline the staged future needs	August 2023
Develop the delivery plan: Digital Tools Journey and scoping – All Needs	Not started	Understand and capture the high-level digital needs for all phases and use cases. Develop a clear plan for delivery that enables short term requirements and longer- term ambitions	October 2023
Digital Capacity & Capability	Not started	Understand the partners digital capabilities, capacities and future investment/ commitments to support the ongoing digital platform	August 2023
Develop the initial platform including data structure to enable the Living Integrated Opportunities Programme to be managed and be visible to partners.	A platform to enable visibility and analysis scoped at a high level. High level scoping of attributes completed, and requirements of the platform	Develop the platform. Confirm the user interface requirements and reporting requirements. More detailed structure to be developed and evaluated including the value it brings and the implications for partners and stakeholders	February 2024
Continue development of the platform	Not started	In line with the delivery plan, continue to create the digital platform to meet the defined and evolving needs	Ongoing

3.3 WORKSTREAM 3 – Adapting Policies and Standards

3.3.1     What do we mean?

In the near term, local and regional policies will be reviewed, challenged and recommendations to enhance outcomes for integrated water management identified. Where policies and standards are due for review, the partnership will take an active role in commenting on and providing recommendations for change. The partnership will review the timelines associated with all policies and standards to plan the appropriate time to influence any changes.

To enable the future petitioning of policies and standards, it is important we capture the evidence and learning from the near term changes made locally relating to integrated water management. The partnership will agree how and when to petition the appropriate governing bodies.

There are over 60 policies and standards that directly affect how, why, and where projects are delivered within the Greater Manchester area. Some of these are national, whilst others are regional or localised. Almost all provide opportunities to enhance the environment around us and support integrated water management.

To compliment the approach to adapting policies and standards, a governance process with associated roles will be defined to ensure adherence to all policies, strategies and regulatory commitments of the partnerships.

What we have done already:

• Reviewed over 60 policies, standards and strategies (across the GMCA, TfGM, EA, UU and others) directly influencing life wihtin the IWM boundary

• Mapping and analysis to aid the identification of potential gaps in local policies, standards and strategy which could benefit IWM

• Identification of examples whereby the policy change would provide place benefits for all whilst supporting the IWM i.e. the Bee Network

• Collation of governance models from others for reference to inform future discussions around what governance could/should look like

• Analysis of metrics within existing policies and strategies with regards to relevance for IWM

3.3.2    Benefits it will bring and to who

The adaptation of existing policies and standards will benefit all custodians of water management within Greater Manchester by unlocking access to more resources, more funding and achieving multiple outputs enables us to do more for less. The partners in particular benefit if the adapted policies enable and support their roles in delivering integrated water management.

Water quality, quantity and scarcity will be managed collaboratively by working together to influence both local and national policies and strategies whilst delivering for the environment. We will bring together further stakeholders to enhance the learning and help further leverage changes to national policy and standards.

3.3.3 Actions required

 

Action	Progress	Next Step	Complete by
Identify shortlist of local/regional policies and strategies into which IWM can be integrated (gap analysis)	Policies and Standards identified to date have been mapped to identify potential opportunities for enhancement	Identify policy and standards to which modifications will bring the greatest benefit to the management of water in the region	September 2023
Identify key stakeholders behind policies to be included in the engagement plan	Policies and Standards identified to date have identified owners	Engage with the Policy and/or standard custodians, as part of wider engagement plan	October 2023
Recommend good practices and changes on the policies and standards identified for enhancement	Not started	Identify good practice where policy could be adapted and updated, with recommendations for change. Review across partners and stakeholders and evolve recommendations	December 2023
Use the identified policies and standards to influence our own objectives and metrics	Metrics from within policies have been identified through the analysis undertaking in PowerBi	Identify the connections between existing metrics and the objectives of IWM to be able to measure the success of the IWMP.	January 2024
Use the identified policies and standards to influence our own objectives and metrics	Metrics from within policies have been identified through the analysis undertaking in PowerBi	Develop new metrics where existing metrics are not appropriate	February 2024
Identify shortlist of national policies and strategies into which IWM can be integrated and lobby for change	Not started – further evidence of the benefits that can be brought through IWM are needed to influence government level	Measure the benefits leveraged through IWM in Manchester to provide the evidence needed to lobby government	December 2024

3.4 WORKSTREAM 4 – The Partnership  

3.4.1 What do we mean?

We want to establish a formal Partnership to leverage the opportunity that is here to collaborate in the devleopment of new ways of working together that will enable us to meet the challenges of integrated water management. We want the Partnership to be a trailblazer for IWM and to be the first region in the UK to successfully apply it at this scale, especially across all water systems.

The partnership will be established in accordance with the principles for good governance using key attributes for water management from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The foundation for the current Partnership has been established through the MoU between the GMCA, UU and the EA and how we move forward through the development of a Collaborative Agreement over the next few months will provide the cornerstone for us to go further, supported by the Governance Framework we establish.

We are ambitious and recognise that water touches many organisations to a greater or lesser extent and through the work undertaken to date there is a strong aspiration to grow participation over time, to become a multi-sector partnership to support the ambitions for cross-sector delivery.

To do this we want to create the right conditions for success and over the next few months we want to draw in key partners and stakeholders by collaborating, engaging, seeking feedback and providing challenge on the plan and the Workstreams it contains. We will outline the road map, and what these actions look like to enable us to test how we progress through natural development and plan for tactical and strategic changes over time, whilst implementing and delivering the early parts of the IWM.

To create momentum, the Partnership will demonstrate new ways of working by bringing together projects and problems that overlap spatially to create an early programme of short- term opportunities from which added value can be provided through collaboration and co-delivery.

To be agile the Partnership will need to understand and develop the role of governance within each organisation, how each operates and any constraints. We will also look to use the existing network of committees, groups and meetings to provide a connection to IWM.

Description of Figure 5 - As we mature we move from a Memorandum of Understanding to multisector working

Memorandum of Understanding between:

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority

• Environment Agency

• United Utilities

Collaborative Agreement between:

• United Utilities

• Environment Agency

• 10 Local Authorities

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority

• TfGM

Maturing to multisector working between the Mayoral Office and these sectors:

• United Utilities

• TfGM

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority

• Environment Agency

• 10 Local Authorities

• Citizens

• Water

• NGOs

• Community Group

• National

• Businesses

What we have done already:

• Created the ambitions, vision and objectives

• Undertaken a maturity assessment across the Partnership and developed a roadmap identify the steps required to progress the Partnership

• Shared data to identify quick win schemes

• Captured the value and benefits the IWMP will create

• Co-developed the collaborative agreement

• Co-located each week to expediate decision making

3.4.2 Benefits it will bring and to who

The Partnership will bring benefits by laying the foundations required for good integrated water management, for example: the culture and values it embeds, the governance framework it creates, the collective vision and objectives shared, the delivery programme it establishes, and the supportive tools, knowledge and capacity needed.

As the partnership matures, the processes will develop to enable and embed integrated planning, informing statutory and local plans as required, to create a truly integrated water management plan that sits across the partnership and captures and steers future funding.

A wider benefit of the plan and achieving IWM is alignment to many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly: clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, sustainable cities and communities and life on land.

One of the main challenges for the partnership is the resource capacity across the sector, although the Partnership cannot solve this in isolation it can contribute, drive efficiencies and bring benefits to those involved this is covered in Workstream 5.

Long term the benefits that will be realised by the Partnerships and the cross organisations involved are:

• A resilient organisational system with embedded understanding, knowledge sharing and cross-organisational and sector engagement

• Established partnership, relationships and efficient processes and tools to deliver the ambitions outlined in the plan

• Enhance the opportunities delivered by accessing funding from multiple sources to maximise the value created

• Development of skills, capacity, and jobs within the region to deliver opportunities

 3.4.3 Actions required

 

Action	Progress	Next Step	Complete by
Sharing of resource across the organisations	Started – weekly colocation between GMCA, United Utilities and the Enviornment Agency	Define requirement, undertake gap analysis an develop additional roles and responsbilities aligned to workstreams. Identify wider skills required to support IWMP delivery.	July 2023
Sharing of resource across the organisations	Started – weekly colocation between GMCA, United Utilities and the Enviornment Agency	Undertake knowledge sharing between the Environment Agency, United Utilities and GMCA.	September 2023
Behaviours and culture – create an independent and inclusive culture which enables stakeholders across the Greater Manchester to work together	Started through engagement with the Organisational Development and Culture Team to develop a proposal to support the partnership in achieving their goals – workshop planned	Resource support to develop a set of values within the Partnership that everyone agrees to lead on and commit to demonstrating the right behaviours aligned with the values. Define and agree to how members will work together, clarity and seek agreement to responsbilities. Develop a process to manage conflict or disagreements about roles and responsbilities	September 2023
Develop a collaborative agreement for the Implementation Phase	Collaborative agreement has been drafted for the initial work	To be drafted based on the “development” phase collaborative agreement and to reflect the on-going commitment to work together	October 2023
Governance Framework to create the structure required to bring together the collective vision, objectives and delivery programme	Review of existing groups and networks has started, developed draft Terms of Reference for the delivery network	Cross-organisational decision-making principles and mindset of the partnership to consider integrated opportunities individually within a wider strategic context, with outputs documented within the annual business plan	August 2023
Grow the partnership beyond GMCA, United Utilities and the Environment Agency	Agreed the ambition to extend beyond the 3 organisations and set an ambition to be a multi sector partnership by 2030	Engage with TfGM and others to draw them into the IWMP, grow participation in data sharing and integrating opportunities	April 2024
Shared funding pool	Initial phase of work has been co-funded equally	Process established through the Collaborative Agreement to detail requirements and processes for a shared funding approach	October 2023

 

3.5 WORKSTREAM 5 – Skills and Resources

3.5.1 What do we mean?

To be successful, the IWM will need people with the right blend of skills and the capacity, to meet the demands of a new way of working.

Across the partners and stakeholders, the resource pool varies in capacity and skills, and whilst the supply chain will look to grow to support where possible, they too draw from the same limited resource pool.

Skills, capacity and resource are needed across a range of areas, including:

• Planning, design and construction across the full range of interconnected needs e.g. flood risk, water quality, biodiversity, water resources,

• Collaboration, engagement, brokering and facilitation with partners and stakeholders

• Spatial and data analysis development, planning, transportation etc.

• Funding, finance, and business case preparation

The Partners in isolation cannot address the resource gap and skills challenge across the sector, but it can contribute by:

• Creating apprenticeship roles, with the opportunity to move between partners and learn about each other in the process in a way that operating at distance cannot teach (See Workstream 5)

• Internal training and mentoring, with sharing of key learning and material across partners and stakeholders to enable them to be more aligned with the requirements of the future and ensure appropriate technical courses

• Recruitment of the Opportunity Integrator role to support the partners to enable the scale of collaborative work required.

• Engagement with supply chain to make clear the future and provide an opportunity for alignment of their own skill and capacity development.

• Sharing of resources through the partnership and providing capacity to other organisations

What we have done already:

• Very high-level discovery conversations have taken place about the scale of what an ‘Academy’ could comprise of

• There is an existing MOU between GMCA and the Universities of Salford and Manchester that could be leveraged to shape the training on offer through Universities

• We have identified a previous study focussed on LLFA functions that identified what courses and training are offered, which can be built upon

3.5.2 Benefits it will bring and to who

We can leverage further benefits by building upon the existing partnerships between GMCA, skill providers and industry to work with universities and colleges in Greater Manchester to enhance the training on offer.

By investing time to understand the educational and training landscape that supports the local, regional and national water management, engineering and environmental sectors it will help to identify the wider talent pool that all partners, stakeholders and supply chain draw from. This understanding will enable a strategy to be developed to provide a variety of attractive and competitive career pathways for water management practitioners within Greater Manchester.

Growth of a highly skilled, agile, and well networked resource pool will enable more to be delivered and will further underpin the growth of an effective and collaborative partnership

 3.5.3     Actions required

 

Action	Progress	Next Step	Complete by
High-level Skills and Training Discovery Phase	Ongoing	Scope more comprehensive discovery within the Trilateral Partners	June 2023
High-level Skills and Training Discovery Phase	Ongoing	Analyse outcomes, undertake gap analysis and prepare proposal and business case for sharing resources	October 2023
High-level Skills and Training Discovery Phase	Ongoing	Internal training and mentoring, by sharing of key learning and material across partners and stakeholders to enable them to be allies and be more aligned	February 2024
High-level Skills and Training Discovery Phase	Ongoing	Engagement with supply chain to make clear the future and provide an opportunity for alignment of their own skill/capacity development	April 2024
Engage with Academia	Not Started	Undertake gap analysis and prepare statement of needs for further engagement	November 2023
Engage with Higher Education and Schools	Not Started	Undertake gap analysis and prepare statement of needs for further engagement	November 2023
Plan for general knowledge sharing across partners, stakeholders and supply chain	Not Started	Identify and implement sustainable delivery mechanism amongst those involved	December 2023

3.6 WORKSTREAM 6 – Integrated Investment Plan

3.6.1 What do we mean?

The Integrated Water Management Plan will initially draw together programmes of investment that have already been developed by partners, with the aim of leveraging wider benefits through partnership working and collaboration.

By bringing together a wide set of data and assessing it against our objectives, IWM will create a programme of new opportunities. Drawing on alternative investment and funding routes from other sectors, such as transport and regeneration, or from alternative private sector sources we can leverage further water, environmental and social benefits where it would previously have been limited.

The alignment of investments in a integrated investment plan, by location, timing, balance of outcomes, shared stakeholders or shared costs and resources can create the opportunity to deliver more for less.

3.6.2 Benefits it will bring and to who

The development of an Integrated Investment Plan will benefit all partners and stakeholders by better understanding the funding landscape and will provide them with the knowledge and skills to target alternative sources of funding that benefit multiple projects and programmes.

An Integrated Investment Plan that considers the full range of funding opportunities and their associated limitations and opportunities around location, timing, outcome, and process will enable a targeted and strategic approach. This will leverage funding routes and mechanisms which will help optimise outcomes for water, environment, and place through alignment of interventions

What we have done already:

• Collated information on investment across Greater Manchester from published sources, both in terms of how much it has been committed and the value of that investment

• Mapped the allocation of funding across various sectors, identifying that there is substantial investment in transportation, regeneration and other areas that could be leveraged for water and enviornmental benefits

• Collated up-to-date information on investment in flood risk management, sewer overflows and drainage and water management

3.6.3     Actions required

 

Action	Progress	Next Step	Complete by
Develop a list of funding options	Started (via the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC))	Build on the existing RFCC work and best practice elsewhere to develop a comprehensive funding menu for IWM including opportunities for green finance.	September 2024
Map Business Planning Cycles	Started in Phase 1 of the IWMP	Add funding cycles captured in the funding options list	July 2023
Collate exemplar funding applications as part of a materials reference library	Not Started	Engage with Partners and Stakeholders to identify suitable exemplar material and the range of material at would for part of the library	September 2023

3.7 WORKSTREAM 7 – Marketing and Engagement

3.7.1     What do we mean?

The Integrated Water Management Plan provides the roadmap to a new way of delivering water management across Greater Manchester. Enabled by a range of key workstreams such as the partnership itself, a digital platform to facilitate its effective operation, an Academy to grow skills and resources, an integrated investment plan to optimise funding, policy change to support its ambitions and a programme of integrated opportunities to deliver those ambitions.

To ensure that these new ways of working and the partnership is sustainable in the long term we must ensure that communication and engagement is appropriately targeted and effectively delivered so that each partner and stakeholder can recognise the need for and importance of their contributions towards achieving our ambition. An external facing component will help to publicise our approach throughout the region, acting as an investment portfolio to attract private sector investment and leverage additional funding to deliver more water and environmental outcomes within Greater Manchester.

Supporting engagement with local MPs on key issues, this workstream provides a means to influence and lobby national policy where appropriate.

What we have done already:

• Engaged with the River Severn Partnership (RSP) ad obtained their Investment Brochure for reference

• Engaged with the Upper Mersey Placed Based Planning project (including the Local Authorities) through sharing at a Lessons Learned Workshop

• Engaged with the Irwell and Upper Mersey Catchment Partnerships

• Engaged with the following Greater Manchester boards/committees: Natural Capital Group, Greater Manchester Strategic Infrastructure Board, Planning and Housing Commission, Green City Region Partnership and Local Resilience Forum and Scrutiny Committee.

• Mapped engagement activities through various governance boards across Manchester with a water and enviornment focus

3.7.2 Benefits it will bring and to who

The benefit of this workstream is that it provides the partners with a single voice to communicate the opportunities of IWM to both internal and external audiences. Its collective parts will ensure that all custodians of water management have visibility of the IWM and its ambitions. With all stakeholders being able to act as integrators and Opportunity Integrators themselves across a wider range of sectors.

It will act to maintain connectivity, build momentum and underpin the sustainable growth of the partnership itself to help realise the outcomes and benefits targeted by the IWM.

Externally, the workstream will promote the innovative and industry leading IWM approach, helping efforts to recruit and grow skills in the sector, whilst the Investment portfolio will promote Manchester itself as a place to invest in integrated water and environmental solutions.

3.7.3 Actions required

 

Action	Progress	Next Step	Complete by
Internal Engagement and Communication Plan	Started	Develop a strategy for internal engagement and communication that ensures multi-level awareness and advocacy of the IWMP and its ambitions, including provision of tools and information that can be shared by all involved and not directly involved in the IWMP	July 2023
Communication Website	Started	Web space started using the GMCA site. To be updated as more information from the plan is made available	October 2023
External Engagement and Communication Plan	Not Started	Develop plan for thought leadership and knowledge exchange across the sector	December 2023
Investment portfolio brochure	Started (Phase 1)	Discovery exercise on what a Greater Manchester specific Investment portfolio should include, ensuring that it is targeted around the growth opportunities and water management challenges that exist	January 2024

 

 

4. Actions aligned to Workstreams

Matrix to show alignment between the short-term actions and the Workstreams demonstrating how elements of the plan mutually benefit each other.

Action	Priority Year	Workstream 1. Living Integrated Opportunity Programme (LIOP)	Workstream 2. Digital Platform	Workstream 3. Adapted Policies and Standards	Workstream 4. The Partnership	Workstream 5. Skills and Resources	Workstream 6. Integrated Investment Plan	Workstream 7. Marketing and Engagement
Sharing of opportunity data across partners and stakeholders	2023	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Analysis of data to identify potential opportunities across partners	2023	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No
Develop roles, resourcing requirements and appoint resources in data analysis, opportunity evaluation and brokering	2023	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Create & establish a framework to support and facilitate the delivery of the Living Integrated Opportunities Programme	2023	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Develop the platform including data structure to enable the Living Integrated Opportunities Programme to be managed and be visible to partners	2023	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Build the Living Integrated Opportunities Programme and track its progress and maturity of integrated opportunities.	2023	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No
Data Sharing Agreement	2023	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Digital Tools (Existing)	2023	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Data Mapping & Needs	2023	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Digital Tools – All Needs	2023	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Digital Capacity & Capability	2023	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Develop the initial platform including data structure to enable the Living Integrated Opportunities Programme to be managed and be visible to partners	2023	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Continue development of the platform	2023	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Identify shortlist of local/regional policies and strategies into which IWM can be integrated (gap analysis).	2023	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Identify key stakeholders behind policies to be included in the engagement plan	2023	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Recommend good practices and changes on the policies and standards identified for enhancement.	2023	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Use the identified policies and standards to influence our own targets and metrics	2024	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Identify shortlist of national policies and strategies into which IWM can be integrated and lobby for change	2023	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Sharing of resource	2023	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Behaviours and culture - create an independent and inclusive culture which enables stakeholders across the Greater Manchester to work together	2023	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Develop a collaborative agreement for the Implementation Phase	2023	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Governance Framework to create the structure required to bring together the collective vision, objectives and delivery programme	2023	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Grow the partnership beyond GMCA, UU and the Environment Agency	2023	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Shared Funding pool	2023	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
High-level Skills and Training Discovery Phase	2024	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Discovery Phase 2	2024	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Engage with Academia	2023	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Engage with Higher Education and Schools	2023	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Plan for general knowledge sharing across partners, stakeholders and supply chain	2023	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Develop a Funding Options	2023	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Map Business Planning Cycles	2023	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Collate exemplar funding applications as part of a materials reference library	2023	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Identify an appropriate information storage solution for access to the above	2023	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Internal Engagement and Communication Plan	2023	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Communication website	2023	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
External Engagement and Communication Plan	2023	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Investment portfolio brochure	2023	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

Other diagrams included:

Figure 1 - Partnership maturity Figure 2 - Our Journey to 2050

Figure 3 - Workstreams to support the development of IWM

Figure 4 - Connective and strength of relationship between workstreams Figure 5 - As we mature we move from an MoU to multisector working

Figure 5 – As we mature we move from a Memorandum of Understanding to Multisector working

This report was made with the involvement of these Partners: The GMCA, the Environment Agency, and United Utilities.