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.
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.
Gloucestershire County Council set up a rapid testing centre at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester in early December, before launching one in the community.
Waltham Forest has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. To help slow down the local rise in cases, the council launched a Stay Safe Champions scheme. First out on the streets, and now online, council officers and local volunteers have been directly engaging with residents, with the goal of informing, reassuring and supporting them. In parallel, our Play Safe Champions have been out on popular playgrounds to make sure children can safely access outdoor spaces and exercise.
Research and engagement is at the heart of our COVID-19 response and our Recovery Citizens Panel is one of the best examples of our approach. Representative of the diversity of our borough, it was formed to rapidly turn around insight to drive our strategic decision-making processes.
Whilst COVID-19 is having significant impacts on the lives of residents and the city region of Greater Manchester as a whole, we know that the nature and extent of these impacts are not being evenly experienced across the population. National research into these issues exists but lacks the level of detail authorities in Greater Manchester knew they needed to identify those affected most, the issues they face, the support they need, and do determine how best communications and support should be targeted.
The challenge of the pandemic and lockdown restrictions have led to an innovative approach to children’s mental health from school nurses in Northamptonshire.
Cambridge city council did not have an economic development team in place at the onset of the pandemic. These functions had been led by the Combined Authority and Greater Cambridge Partnership – the delivery vehicle for the Cambridge City Deal.
The impact of the pandemic and lockdowns has deepened inequalities and reinforced the need to build a better future for Oldham residents, not a return to pre-covid outcomes.
Essex County Council are approaching recovery with a renewed focus on sustainable economic development. The Council have taken the decision to both create a new £100m fund to invest in economic recovery. They have also boosted their own investment capacity and capability by establishing a new multi-disciplinary growth and recovery team.