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.
Brighton & Hove launched a voluntary healthy choice scheme 14 years ago for cafes, restaurants and takeaways and is now making it mandatory for its commissioned catering services to follow good practice.
A health and wellbeing shop has been operating from a popular shopping mall in Kent, thanks to a partnership between the community NHS trust, county council and a borough council.
The council has organised informal workshops to train staff to respond to “difficult conversations” and signpost to local health and wellbeing services that are available to all who live and work in Shropshire.
The River Bourne Club is a private members’ health club with a fully-equipped gym and swimming pool. The club has been used by both Surrey County Council and the local NHS to run health clinics.
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham made proactive calls to residents at summons stage for council tax arrears to see if they could set up a payment plan or needed support in February 2021. This increased the numbers of payment plans set up and residents appreciated the approach.
A design team came together drawing from staff in CAMHS, education, the voluntary sector and Youth Offending Services from three local authorities. The team examined two local critical cases and identified a need for a primarily solution-focused emotional wellbeing support for children in the 8-13 age range.
Following the relaxation of lockdown restrictions in 2020, there was an increase in antisocial behaviour. The police were seeking criminal behaviour orders against five children. With summer holidays approaching, the Youth Justice Service (YJS) wanted to put a rapid response in place to prevent further escalation and to address the community’s concerns.
The CAMHS team are implementing systemic, relationship therapy with additional behavioural and CBT programmes as appropriate. Similarly, they use the Assessment Intervention Moving on (AIMS) sexual offending programme with children as part of a wider offer, including systemic or family therapies addressing the complex family trauma.