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.
Nottingham’s Joint Audit and Inspection Team (JAIT) was established in the autumn of 2019. The idea arose from an informal conversation between two senior colleagues from Nottingham City Council and Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) about building safety.
These resources help the Joint Inspection Team (JIT) to assist councils help train council staff to do their own inspections and take enforcement action against the presence of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding in high-rise residential blocks.
Working together
At Camden Council, initial information gathering, basic risk assessment and prioritising is done by one full-time principal environmental health officer (EHO), supported by their manager. Higher-risk buildings stay with the principal EHO for follow-up and enforcement, while lower risk buildings are monitored by the team of EHOs.
East London has a history of extremist groups operating in the area, which has on occasion manifested itself in terrorist activity. Local authorities in the region have been particularly concerned that young people may be vulnerable to extremist ideologies.
With external funding to support counter-extremism delivery decreasing, Portsmouth worked with international partners to devise and deliver work with young people to protect them from online harms and improve critical thinking skills in partnership with local and national third sector providers.
Gateshead Council has seen unemployment rates rise, but the council is working with its partners to provide targeted support to the most deprived communities in a variety of ways.
In Wiltshire the council has provided targeted support to those most at risk, setting up a dedicated team to work with young people not in education, employment or training.
One of the key challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic response has been ensuring that all communities have equitable access to guidance as well as addressing the issue of misinformation and myths.