The community context of the creation of Dingle 2000 Ltd

“The Riots of the 1981 saw the creation of the Granby Toxteth Task Force (GTTF), and in the coming years, the subsequent concern expressed by Dingle young people that they were not getting their fair share with regard to the funding for the local area. This created the climate for Dingle specific action. A number of initiatives came together at that time. Riverside Learning Centre (RLEC) made representations to GTTF for an Employment Development worker to link vacancies on the embryonic dock industrial estate to the Dingle community. Tenant groups in the Dingle community were lobbying for housing refurbishment in conjunction with Toxteth Community Council. On top of that, GTTF were hearing of the concern about being left behind, by both young and old people of the Dingle. Therefore, a board was created that brought together the existing players, members of the community, and local business. This Board guided the work of Dingle 2000 in the early years. The Dingle 2000 objectives fall into the main areas of :

• Employment development
• Economic regeneration including the refurbishment of vacant buildings

Carole Parker, a field worker with the GTTF had the responsibility for the Dingle element of their area, and she arranged a meeting of the above parties to share their different views of what was happening and ways forward. It was from this and the subsequent meetings that the name Dingle 2000 was suggested and that it should become a partnership for regeneration of the area. The Company was established and it quickly became an influential player.

At the time and as part of fact finding, research undertaken by Toxteth Community Council highlighted the hidden levels (due to Ward boundaries and counting methods) of massive economic inactivity. This in turn created substantial pressure for intervention and funding, and led to one of the most significant steps (pursued by ROH) to have an application for a Dingle specific Single Regeneration Budget supported by the City."

Paul Feaver, Member of the Board Dingle 2000 Ltd