Aston Charities in joint bid with private sector

Richard Stubbs

Aston Charities is working to ensure that small voluntary and community organisations are not marginalised by large scale developments within the private sector. It has joined forces with Internet Gateway Ltd (IGL) in a bid for European finance to develop the Slipway Project. Computer Access and the East London and Lee Valley Teleregion are also involved.

The Slipway Project will assess the feasibility of local businesses selling online and will review the range of products that are available to help them do this. It will introduce all businesses in the Objective 2 area (private, public and voluntary sector) to the opportunities available. A close partnership with traditional media is seen as essential and the Newham Recorder is backing the plan. It is envisaged that some 3,000 businesses will be assisted by Dec '2000 and that 20 full time staff and 30 part time staff will be employed. In addition assistance will be given to 500 voluntary and community sector organisations.

Newham Online supports IGL and welcomes the Slipway Project as a practical initiative that will bring eCommerce expertise into the Borough. Richard Stubbs, Newham Online's Director, helped develop the Slipway bid and sees it as a valuable complement to Newham Online's own bid to create the Newham Extranet and Gateway.

Should the bid succeed Slipway will be based in the St. Luke's Centre in Canning Town. The Project Manager will be Adrian Norman, a member of the CCTA's Strategic Assignment Consulting Service and a director of IGL. Most of the jobs created will be for call centre workers rather than IT professionals although it is likely that Slipway's success would increase the local market for the services of web designers.

Slipway will test the viability of Internet Gateway's plans for a national service. Should IGL succeed in launching a national service it will be based in Newham and will recruit its staff from the Objective 2 area. However even if this further development does not prove viable, the databases, software, templates and expertise generated through Slipway will greatly enhance the development of eCommerce in the East End.