Southend-on-Sea: UKSPF summary evaluation plan
Published 4 April 2025
Applies to England
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Summary of the local place
Southend-on-Sea (from now on, Southend), a large coastal area in South East Essex located 40 miles from Central London, has a population of 180,700, projected to grow to 203,000 by 2031[footnote 1]. The area experiences significant disparity, with 26% of its residents living in the 20% most deprived areas in England, particularly in eastern wards like Kursaal and Victoria, while 13 wards rank among the least deprived [footnote 2]. This divide leads to a 10-year gap in life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas [footnote 3].
Map of Southend on Sea
Southend’s economy is driven by sectors such as health and social care (17%), retail (15%), and accommodation and food services (11%), with a growing presence of creative industries and professional services [footnote 4]. Employment is relatively high, with 79% of residents economically active, though unemployment stands at 6%, and young people are the most likely to claim Universal Credit [footnote 5].
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) in Southend aims to enhance economic productivity by supporting businesses, improving employment skills, and encouraging community engagement.
Unit of analysis
UKSPF funded interventions in Southend focus on supporting individuals and businesses in the local community. The evaluation will use a bottom-up approach, assessing the impact on beneficiaries and then aggregating results at the district level, as a top-down approach was deemed unsuitable due to the small scale of the interventions. The evaluation will cover all areas of the district, with specific analysis for vulnerable groups, such as homeless individuals and people with disabilities. It will assess all funded projects across three themes, using survey data and case studies that showcase project-level impacts.
Methodological approach
We will adopt a mixed-methods approach that combines primary research, secondary data analysis, and quasi-experimental approaches, underpinned by a contribution analysis framework.
Process evaluation
The evaluation framework for Southend aims to provide a balanced evidence base by triangulating data from various sources, such as monitoring, secondary data, and primary research. The study will involve a document review of relevant local strategies and plans to understand the fund’s design, objectives, and implementation. Stakeholder interviews with Southend staff, local partners, and business representatives will gather insights into the effectiveness of programme delivery. Additionally, secondary and monitoring data, including the “Your Community, Your Say” survey and the Labour Force Survey, will be used to compare local challenges and assess how well Southend reached its target beneficiaries.
Impact evaluation
Southend’s UKSPF investment focuses on three key areas: increasing volunteering to address local challenges, supporting businesses to drive economic growth, and offering training and employment support to boost productivity. The impact evaluation will assess how these goals are achieved through primary research methods. To evaluate the success of volunteering projects, interviews will be conducted with volunteers and beneficiaries to gauge skills development, community impact, and employment outcomes. If feasible, a survey will be distributed to volunteers. However, this may not be possible due to sample size limitations and potential challenges in obtaining contact details and conducting the survey. Similarly, interviews with delivery providers will measure how effectively funding has supported local needs. For business support projects, a survey of beneficiaries will examine how services helped businesses grow, improve products, and increase revenue. Lastly, the evaluation will assess skills and employment projects through surveys to track beneficiaries’ skill acquisition and job outcomes over time, supplemented by detailed case studies to illustrate specific impacts.
Economic evaluation
The economic evaluation of Southend’s UKSPF delivery will follow the National Audit Office’s 4Es framework: economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity.
For Economy, the evaluation will assess whether inputs were purchased efficiently, mainly through interviews with project management staff, and determine if additional in-kind or financial support was leveraged. Efficiency will be measured by assessing how inputs are converted into outputs, using benchmarking against similar programmes and cost-per-outcome analyses, such as the cost per business supported or additional jobs created. Effectiveness focuses on how well outputs are translated into outcomes and impacts, using quasi-experimental approaches and contribution analysis to identify if UKSPF interventions directly led to positive results. Beneficiary surveys will also help measure effectiveness. Lastly, Equity will assess how well the interventions benefited vulnerable groups, using programme monitoring data and interviews with delivery providers and beneficiaries to evaluate if support reached those most in need.
Data to support the evaluation
Primary data collection
The evaluation plan for Southend’s UKSPF projects relies heavily on primary data collection, including beneficiary surveys and interviews. If feasible, online surveys will target different beneficiary groups such as volunteers, supported businesses, and individuals who received employment and skills support. Tailored questions will address their experiences, achieved outcomes, and attribution to UKSPF funding. For vulnerable groups, telephone or Teams interviews will be offered, with options for parents to participate on behalf of their children.
Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with Southend City Council staff, delivery providers and beneficiaries to gather qualitative insights. Delivery provider interviews will explore implementation challenges and project impacts, while beneficiary interviews will assess the quality of support, business performance, employment, and wellbeing outcomes. Delivery providers who submitted unsuccessful funding bids and those who expressed interest in UKSPF funding but did not submit a project bid will also be interviewed to gather their views on the application process and criteria for assessment.
Secondary data sources
Census and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) data will help, alongside monitoring data, determine how far Southend’s interventions have reached those in greatest need.
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