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.
Birmingham City Council and its partners have concentrated on mainstreaming Prevent across all relevant service areas and, in particular, in schools and has appointed a schools resilience adviser to help them address the Prevent agenda.
Greenwich has been working on this issue since 2012 and has used football as a medium to reach out to the local community. The project resulted in participants playing a friendly match against soldiers from Woolwich barracks where Lee Rigby was based when he was murdered. The council has also developed an interactive DVD for school children which is being rolled out nationally.
When a report of a vulnerable missing person came through to police in Liverpool recently, they turned to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) to help them in their search.
Cornwall’s tri-service officer project, which has now been picked up by Durham and Darlington Fire And Rescue Service, is a forerunner of the closer working relationship that is likely to develop between fire and police.
The new Furness Peninsula Blue Light Hub will accommodate not only the fire and rescue service, police and ambulance, but also other Cumbria County Council departments.
West Midlands has made working with the most vulnerable people a key priority. The service’s 1,322 fire officers have been given public health training to support the people they come into contact with.
Firefighters in Merseyside are tackling social and health inequalities in the community by educating people about the benefits of fitness, healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle.
Firefighters in Wigan have become ‘health champions’ in their local community. Thanks to specialist training they are able to use their contact with residents to promote healthy messages, give advice and signpost people to help. In total, they work with 20 different agencies.
Summary
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council has commissioned housing charity Shelter to run a family intervention project (FIP) to reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB). Project workers intervene assertively with perpetrators' whole families to address the root causes, including mental health problems, thereby reducing the effect on victims.
Enfield was awarded the first prize and the Popularity Award in the 2012 National Tilley Awards for innovative work to address gangs and serious youth violence.