Challenge 4: Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is focused on supporting people to remain as independent as possible. They work very hard on early intervention and prevention; however, they want to go further.


You can also view an audio described version of the Challenge 4 video on our YouTube channel.


LG Challenge hit the home stretch as we took our cohort of 10 officers to the North East for the fourth challenge of 2023. Hosting this time round was Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, with this challenge marking the first in the North East since 2011.



Every challenge topic is different, and for this one, Stockton-on-Tees tasked the contestants with creating proposals that would be considered for inclusion in a future prevention strategy.

The teams were required to focus on the three key elements - Housing, Transport, Intelligence gathering and sharing - that will form part of the council’s prevention strategy, and to come up with a series of costed proposals.

‘Develop a Prevention Strategy that encompasses our Council Directorates, Partner Organisations and Local Communities.’

The five members of Team Catalyst standing in a row, dressed formally.

Team Catalyst’s proposal, titled ‘Big Plans for Prevention’ identified three key building blocks to underpin their response: data-led, working in partnership, and maximising the use of community assets. The team offered that these blocks can apply to a full range of areas across the strategy to ensure proposals that are effective, meaningful and strengths-based, and built on these three principles to put forward the ‘One Stockton-on-Tees’ big plan for prevention, with their tagline ‘One Story, One Ride, One Home’.

Our idea is to fundamentally revolutionise the way that data insights are used within Stockton-on-Tees. This includes drawing upon legacy data systems, but also using new, richer, data from digital technology-enabled care devices. So I think what we're proposing really is quite radical for local government.”

– Lewis, Team Catalyst Captain

The five members of Team Thrive standing in a row, dressed formally.

Team Thrive’s idea ‘Our Neighbourhood Model’ set out a proposal that aimed to go further to direct resources to preventative interventions on a return-on-investment basis, and turn the tide on rising demand across social care, housing and community safety. Thrive suggested that the Council’s strategy should model return on investment and cost avoidance over the next 10 years, to make informed choices about the interventions invested in today.

This is a complex, highly sensitive issue; we're all living longer, we're all getting older, but actually it's that cradle-to-grave ethos that we need to have around social care and how we can live active healthy lives.”

- Leanda, Team Thrive Captain

True to form, both teams provided excellent presentations, and after a lengthy Q&A, the judges ultimately decided to award Team Catalyst’s ‘One Stockton-on-Tees’ plan as the winning proposal.

It’s reinvigorated everywhere, everybody's had a real lift from the people that have been here. The candidates are superb, I can't speak highly enough of them, and it's just been great. Brilliant outcome and a brilliant couple of days.”

- Ann Workman, Director of Adults & Health, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Judges



Claire Holloway, Head of Corporate Services - Local Government Association



Ann Workman, Director of Adults & Health - Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council



Marc Stephenson, Assistant Director - Community Safety and Regulated Services - Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council



Jane Edmends, Assistant Director - Housing and A Fairer Stockton - Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council