Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This is a mixed-methods data collection. This project aimed to understand how the loss of employment at Longbridge has affected former MG Rover workers, their families and their neighbourhoods. It examined the processes of adjustment and change using a holistic approach. This approach included looking at loss of job and subsequent work trajectories, the impacts on household’s income, well-being, migration and commuting as well as the wider 'ripple effect' for their neighbourhoods.

Specific objectives comprise:

1. To collate evidence related to the economic and social impacts of the closure;

2. To use this evidence to evaluate the differential impact of change;

2. To consider the role of community resilience through networks in minimising the impact of manufacturing decline;

4. To evaluate agency intervention in dealing with the impacts of closure; and

5. To contribute to the discussion of policy and practice around effective intervention and strategies for areas affected by manufacturing decline.

The research included a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. The main body of the research consists in a third wave survey of around 300 ex-Rover workers using the methodology and sample used by the Work Foundation in its 2006 report.