Member Spotlight James Moorhouse, Senior Research and Policy Analyst at Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
Can you tell us a bit about your day-to day role at Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)?
As part of the research team at Bucks LEP, I undertake and communicate research on the Buckinghamshire economy to inform the development of long-term local economic strategy, programme and policy development with key stakeholders.
What is your involvement in the Bucks Data Exchange (BDEx)?
I help to ensure that the latest analysis on the Buckinghamshire economy is accessible to the public by sharing it on the Bucks Data Exchange platform. I also help steer the development of the project and its’s community with key partners in the public and voluntary sector, to ensure information provided meets their needs.
What has been your motivation for being involved in the Bucks Data Exchange?
Having previously worked in the voluntary sector with a range of organisations in research, evaluation and communication roles, I understand the real importance of having strong links with both the public and private sector to support the delivery of programmes. Voluntary sector organisations are also heavily reliant on up-to-date and accessible information on the local economy and labour market to support funding applications, make informed decisions and evaluate impact. The BDEx is an essential and valued tool to support the voluntary sector, and I am grateful to be a part of it.
How have you used the BDEx so far?
Meeting local voluntary sector organisations has provided useful insight into identifying and monitoring emerging challenges at the local level. Having that on-the-ground intelligence is essential towards understanding what the data is telling us and where there might be gaps in our knowledge and evidence base. On the flip side, the BDEx also provides the ability for us to monitor the effectiveness of our own research that the Bucks LEP research team provides. This is to ensure that our research meets the needs of users and is having impact at every level. A key example has been the publication of our economic ward profiles for the 10 Opportunity Bucks wards where people are experiencing the most hardship, which have helped to inform the Opportunity Bucks programme and the work of voluntary sector organisations.
If you’d like to learn more about James’ role or have questions about the Bucks LEP Observatory or economic data you can contact James at james.moorhouse@buckslep.co.uk
