Case studies

Worcestershire County Council commissions a specialist loneliness service. People referred in are assigned case workers who support them to access local activities as well as helping to build up their confidence. More than 900 people have been helped over the last 18 months.

Worcestershire County Council declared a climate emergency in July 2021. Under the council’s Sustainability Policy, the council has committed to not only reducing their own operational carbon footprint but also to support businesses and other Worcestershire organisations to improve their environmental performance too.

In England, the current skills and employment system consists of at least 49 national employment and skills related schemes or services managed by nine Whitehall departments. No single organisation is responsible for coordinating this activity locally. However, with adequate resources local government can deliver. Our local government partners across the UK are already on a path to achieving this.

Work Local is the Local Government Association (LGA)’s positive vision for an integrated and devolved employment and skills service – bringing together information, advice and guidance alongside the delivery of employment, skills, apprenticeships and wider support for individuals and employers. This case study highlights how Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council worked together to implement a similar approach.

Central Government is promoting the role of staff-led mutuals in the delivery of public services.

This resource describes how public health in a number of councils has started to use the opportunities of a local government setting to improve health and wellbeing.

Seeking to identify ways to close gaps of employment, deprivation and engagement in one of Bolton’s most deprived areas, Bolton Council provided funding and significant freedom of action to a housing association, as the best-embedded organisation within the community, to experiment with innovative forms of community engagement where traditional approaches had failed.

Wigan Council worked closely with survivors of domestic abuse to drive a step change in the borough’s response to this complex social problem. This included an award-winning media and engagement campaign, 'Love is Not Abuse', which challenged widespread assumptions about what constitutes domestic abuse and the most effective ways to communicate with victims.

In Salford and Gateshead, projects have been run to support young fathers and help them deal with the challenges they face. This case study is an example of the work that councils are doing to support young parents.