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.
Traditional forms of consultation were not proving effective at reaching the diverse communities of Walworth, an area of Southwark undergoing rapid change. Working with a range of stakeholders, Southwark Council set out to have place-based conversations with as wide a range of local residents as possible.
Seeking to identify ways to close gaps of employment, deprivation and engagement in one of Bolton’s most deprived areas, Bolton Council provided funding and significant freedom of action to a housing association, as the best-embedded organisation within the community, to experiment with innovative forms of community engagement where traditional approaches had failed.
West Berkshire’s engagement officer noticed that the pandemic period saw a wider demographic of people responding to council consultations, communications and initiatives than previously, including increased engagement from children and young people. There was a desire to harness and build on this increased engagement, so a range of initiatives were launched to educate residents on the council’s role and responsibilities.
Torbay Council needed to construct new sea defences at two beaches. The original design was met with substantial public opposition, demonstrating significant community ‘buy-in’ to the appearance of the seafront. The council decided to pause the project and commission new designs, created using co-design and consultation principles.
Bath & North East Somerset is a small unitary authority with just over 196,000 residents. Rising demand for support such as food banks and debt advice has shown local people are affected by the cost of living. The council is working with local trusted organisations to engage with people who have experience of food insecurity.
Hounslow Council have set up a cross-organisational working group with expert representatives to help identify emerging issues and gaps in support and develop solutions that will help to prevent and deal with these issues when they arise.
North Lincolnshire Council has established a robust and effective relationship with the police. The police have nominated a senior officer to help the Monitoring Officer deal with incidents of abuse, harassment, and intimidation.
Kirklees Council took a practical approach to dealing with abuse and intimidation of candidates and councillors focusing on engaging more with the police on these issues.