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.
East London has a history of extremist groups operating in the area, which has on occasion manifested itself in terrorist activity. Local authorities in the region have been particularly concerned that young people may be vulnerable to extremist ideologies.
With external funding to support counter-extremism delivery decreasing, Portsmouth worked with international partners to devise and deliver work with young people to protect them from online harms and improve critical thinking skills in partnership with local and national third sector providers.
Nottingham’s Joint Audit and Inspection Team (JAIT) was established in the autumn of 2019. The idea arose from an informal conversation between two senior colleagues from Nottingham City Council and Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) about building safety.
These resources help the Joint Inspection Team (JIT) to assist councils help train council staff to do their own inspections and take enforcement action against the presence of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding in high-rise residential blocks.
Working together
At Camden Council, initial information gathering, basic risk assessment and prioritising is done by one full-time principal environmental health officer (EHO), supported by their manager. Higher-risk buildings stay with the principal EHO for follow-up and enforcement, while lower risk buildings are monitored by the team of EHOs.
West Lindsey District Council undertook a review of their draft visitor economy strategy as part of the LGA’s Economic Growth Advisers Programme and commissioned a consultant to assist them in developing a fit for purpose strategy and action plan.
West Sussex County Council and Crawley Borough Council have agreed a Growth Deal to deliver regeneration schemes to its town centre and business district by improving transport infrastructure, delivering new homes and unlocking new commercial space. By doing so, it aims to support the economic recovery of the borough from the pandemic and deliver long term economic growth.
Tendring District Council (TDC) is undertaking a project to incorporate social value to its existing procurement process, based on the anchor institutions approach. Local authorities, other public bodies, and some large voluntary and private sector organisations form the ‘anchors’ in a place. Having seen examples from Preston, Manchester, and an emerging approach from Essex County Council , the desired outcome is to better communicate the procurement process to local companies and support them to understand how to bid into council contracts to increase the level of spend by anchors on local companies.
In September 2020 the Home Office agreed to use the disused Napier Barracks in Folkestone to house asylum seekers who had presented in Kent, often having crossed the Channel in dinghies.