Case studies

Between 2009 and 2010, a project known as ‘You Decide!' was given £4.76 million by the Tower Hamlet's Council, plus an additional £300,000 by the local Primary Care Trust (PCT), totalling over £5 million over the two years.

Participatory budgeting was created in Porto Alegre, a city of 1.3 million people in Brazil, in 1989.

Involving older people case studies Leeds City Council created a website where older people, their relatives and carers, could find the right information quickly. To support older people's engagement with the website, the team have since set up a network of computer training courses.

Bournemouth Borough Council has taken a once-in-a-generation opportunity to co-ordinate and shape the town centre's development.

Wakefield Council created an innovative new housing company in partnership to accelerate the delivery of new homes and generate revenue for further housing investment in their district.

The case studies featured here demonstrate how councils are getting their local communities involved in tackling a broad range of issues and challenges.

Investing in Weston town centre.

Working Together - Surrey and Sussex Emergency Services Collaboration Programme.

Faced with the challenge of engaging the mobile generation in their draft local plan Aylesbury Vale District Council channelled their inner Pixar and used animation to bring their story to life. Communications Manager Kate Brewster explains all

Waltham Forest Council launched a Private Rented Property Licensing Scheme in April 2015, in response to a significant number of landlords being found to provide sub-standard accommodation for tenants, and a high local reliance upon the private sector for housing, with 27 per cent of Waltham Forest households renting privately.