Case studies

Hastings Borough Council is undertaking a project to transform Hastings Castle into a must-see attraction. This project sits at the heart of the Hastings Town Investment Plan and aims to bolster the borough’s visitor economy offer by adding to a critical mass of attractions in the town and boost visitor numbers.

Hartlepool Council’s Economic Growth Team are responsible for directly growing the Hartlepool economy by supporting new and existing businesses. In addition, the team manage the council’s creative industries managed workspace facility ‘The BIS’ which was developed to specifically address the needs of the growing creative sector in Hartlepool. A research study was commissioned to map out a route to enhance and grow opportunities in the creative economy which would add to the ambitions for the BIS to become ‘the home of creativity’ in Hartlepool.

The Employment and Skills Hub team connect with employers to source both short term and long-term work experience placements and engagement at careers, information advice and guidance events. The Hub also links with construction employers to create Employment and Skills Plans. The ESH has been vital in ensuring coherent employer engagement around incentives for Apprenticeships, Levy transfers, Traineeship bonuses, and the Kickstart Scheme in order to secure physical and virtual work experience-based pathways into businesses for young people in Hampshire.

Hampshire County Council’s Construction Skills projects have trained over 2000 people for work in the construction industry, supporting over 1000 of these into employment using its Employment and Skills Plans and local employers with best social value for Hampshire residents.

Lewes District Council adopted a new corporate plan in February 2020, following the declaration of a climate emergency in July 2019. The corporate plan, ‘Reimagining Lewes District’, set out the council’s ambitions to achieve net carbon zero whilst continuing to embed community wealth building principles within the district. This case study sets out how delivery has progressed since.

Our 'Supporting councils with business engagement' report captured learning from councils' contact with businesses over the course of the pandemic and their plans going forward. Gloucestershire County Council was one example. In 2021, they adopted a new approach to engage with businesses to better understand the issues impacting the county.

Founded by the Forest of Dean District Council in 2018, the Forest Economic Partnership (FEP) is an award-winning voluntary community partnership with the vision of making the Forest of Dean a vibrant and thriving place to live, work, study and do business. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, plays or studies in the Forest of Dean District or is interested in participating in FEP’s activities. FEP’s mission is to deliver a thriving economy in the Forest of Dean District by connecting businesses, councils, people, ideas and resources.

Harrow Council has created a procurement framework to help public bodies host the new small cell mobile infrastructure needed for the next generation of digital connectivity.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Exeter City Council and Exeter Chamber of Commerce worked in partnership to launch Exeter Works, an online and physical advice hub to support people in the Greater Exeter area who need advice and guidance on a range of areas related to skills and employment.