Case studies

In 2011 Coventry City Council worked with users of special educational needs transport to manage demand, this was one of the earliest and well-known local government examples.

Leeds City Council recognised the need to offer more opportunities for people to take part in activities they enjoyed, and in particular, to make access to sport and leisure activities more accessible for people with a learning disability. This in turn would help to improve health and well-being and quality of life for this population.

West Sussex County Council has invested in a ‘communities’ function that cuts across all service areas in order to engage more fully with its communities.

London Borough of Lambeth has gone through a process of transformation to become a cooperative council, based on giving people more involvement in and control of the services they use and where they live.

Chorley Council has invested in a number of community action activities as part of the consideration of new service models, moving away from a traditional service delivery approach, to an integrated public services model.

Buckinghamshire County Council has engaged in a range of community action activities, at different scales of investment to enable local priorities to be determined and better met.

Cornwall Council Cornwall Council’s approach to community action has focused on its programme of devolution to parish and town councils, and using that learning now to foster partnerships with a wider range of community groups to improve health and wellbeing.

Leeds City Council recognised the need to offer more opportunities for people to take part in activities they enjoyed, and in particular, to make sport and leisure activities more accessible for people with a learning disability.

The living independently in later years (LILY) programme began in 2012 with the intention of helping older people access the right level of community-based support at the right times in their lives, to help them avoid triggering an event that will move them into high cost services.

Residents' involvement in the design of a small branch library on the outskirts of Brighton has been an inspiration for the LSP. This case study shows how the council, along with other partners across the city, has developed a city-wide approach to engagement activities.