Innovation in local government is about improving the lives of the people in our
communities. Browse through our case studies to see the many innovative programmes councils are involved
in.
Barking Riverside is an ambitious new development along the Thames Estuary, in an area that has historically seen limited investment. Multiple partners are currently delivering new homes, rail and river transport links, schools and services. As part of the development, a new health hub is being planned in an area where there is currently no GP provision.
To unlock the land needed for new housing, the existing school on the site had to remain operational while a new one was built. This required a complex, two-phase construction process, significantly increasing costs and threatening the viability of the entire scheme. In March 2021, a £900,000 capital grant from the Land Release Fund (LRF) - part of the One Public Estate programme - helped to make EdCity possible. The grant funded demolition of the old school and nursery buildings, removing a major financial barrier and enabling the project to continue.
The Best Start Family Hubs transformation is building on successful outreach efforts, including funding for voluntary organisations, targeted home learning, and community development programmes. These programmes aim to reach families in need, by providing services closer to their communities. The transformation is also focusing on capturing improvements in outcomes through family feedback surveys, case studies, and data tracking, with the goal of better connecting families with hub services and measuring the impact on individual children and families.
The review was commissioned to support WMCA’s aim to deliver better quality housing for disabled people with the goal of reducing health inequalities in the region, as part of its wellbeing delivery priorities.
All Family Hubs previously known as Start Well Family Centres have worked hard to ensure that families are made to feel comfortable and welcome when visiting our venues. All venues have key information display boards which link to the provision of services and knowledge for our families to access.
Colleagues in West Sussex were experiencing high demand for long-term adult social care services, needs becoming more complex, and continued financial pressures. Action was taken to strengthen reablement as a core intervention, promoting independence and managing long term care demand. The Community Reablement Service was recommissioned, with approximately £0.72m additional investment.
Wigan Council has implemented a multi channel, highly visual engagement strategy to increase awareness and take up of Family Hub services. This includes large scale distribution of QR coded information cards, a new digital booking system, and community engagement with branding development.