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.
South Gloucestershire agreed a new plan for children’s social care in October 2021 which will see an extra £10m invested over the coming three to five years.
At the start of the pandemic, Calderdale Council’s public health team recognised the importance of supporting schools. They set up a helpline for schools so they could get in touch with public health specialists for advice.
The Basildon Advice Store opened in 2019 and is run by Basildon Council. Residents may walk in and use it to access employment-related skills from a range of local providers.
Reigate and Banstead’s community development workers are a key part of the borough council’s work to tackle social isolation. They are embedded in the community and work with people of all ages, helping establish volunteer networks for older people, intergenerational art and craft groups and activities for teenagers and young people.
The pandemic brought an urgent need to provide support and assistance to families and individuals struggling with a wide range of issues across Cumbria County Council’s 2,613 square miles. To date, more than 27,000 residents have been supported by the council’s COVID-19 emergency helpline.
On Wednesday 10th February, Hertfordshire County Council and other local agencies completed their ‘surge testing’ pilot in the EN10 area of Broxbourne for the new South African variant of COVID-19.
In the summer, Coventry City Council launched a community-led response to communications and messaging around Covid-19 that’s seen the development of more than 200 community champions across the city
Hertfordshire’s whole systems approach to child obesity includes a successful weight management service, an active school travel plan that discourages car drop-offs, and 10 “healthy hubs”.
A programme supporting minority ethnic women during and after pregnancy is just one of Coventry City Council’s early interventions which are having a positive impact on healthy choices.
The City Region argues that devolution has allowed it to move away from policy silos and address interconnected problems in a far more joined up way, for example Households into Work having an impact on social housing strategy.