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.
Reopening of Hamworthy branch line to Port of Poole could remove 2,400 lorries per year from the road, potentially rising to 12,000 within 36 months, providing a far more environmentally-friendly freight transport option.
Port of Poole Maritime Industrial Cluster's decarbonisation plan aims to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in emissions by 2035 and reach net zero by 2050, driving sustainable growth within the Port of Poole Maritime Cluster.
Fifty zero-emission double-decker buses will be in operation in Plymouth and South-East Cornwall by December 2025, thanks to £31.87 million of joint investment by, Plymouth Citybus (part of the Go-Ahead Group), the Department for Transport (DfT), Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council.
Founded in 2021, Oh Yes! Net Zero has 170 active members in Hull and East Yorkshire. The initiative was created to discuss how a transition to net zero could be achieved, following the council's declaration of a climate emergency in 2019.
Between 2020 and 2023, UCL and the Local Government Association ran an online programme that brought together local authority staff and university researchers to work together on local net zero challenges.
The Resilient Roch project, funded through the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCIP), has tackled a range of local climate challenges, most notably flood risk, affecting residents in disadvantaged communities.
Over the last three years, Surrey County Council has developed a collaborative plan with trusted partners across the county to support residents with reducing energy bills, keeping homes warm and free of damp and mould, and reducing residential carbon emissions, which account for around 30 per cent of Surrey’s total.
Carbon Literacy is an awareness of the carbon dioxide costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and impacts of everyday activities. We're a Carbon Literate Organisation. In 2023, we received our Bronze Carbon Literacy Organisational Award. We offer this training in-house to our staff and councillors. We can offer this course to our community leaders and our town and parish councils.
Central Bedfordshire Council worked in partnership with Community Energy South to enable and support community energy projects from concept to feasibility through the Pathways programme. The Pathways started at the end of 2022 with engagement with residents and after two years of support there are three active groups, constituted as Community Benefit Societies.
Central Bedfordshire Council’s Staff Networks are integral for staff wellbeing and helping to make positive changes to policies, procedures and the staff experience.