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.
Wirral Borough Council has embedded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library within Early Childhood Services, leading to improved communication and language outcomes and reduced inequality.
In 2023, Hackney Council implemented a reorganisation of its library service to upskill and empower staff, and provide local people with a new community hub, where they could benefit from a wider range of services.
Essex Record Office wanted to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Essex flood, a disaster which claimed 120 lives. They worked collaboratively with community groups, the Environment Agency and National Coastwatch to create public events which were attended by 1700 participants.
‘We have to move on’ was a partnership project between Suffolk Archives, the National Horseracing Museum (NHRM) and Orchestras Live. The project was based on the memoir of Fritz Ball, a Jewish refugee living with his wife Eva at a refugee hostel at Palace House Stables in Newmarket from 1939 to 1942.
The Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre worked with ‘Rooted’, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), who created a community garden within the grounds of the centre.
East Riding Archives’ Blockdown project harnessed the possibilities of the videogame Minecraft as an interactive learning environment and as a tool to collect young peoples’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.
This case study explores how local archives staff built up good relations and developed trust to enable the archives of the Redcar Steelworks to be saved.
As part of the Knowsley Borough of Culture 2022 celebrations, the archive contacted Merseyside Polonia, a Polish not-for-profit organisation, and embarked on a collaborative project to translate and exhibit the Skura papers.
Large-scale transfer of archives from Tower Hamlets Town Hall, the council headquarters since 1993, to Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives at Bancroft Road.
The Story Buses were initially launched in January 2020. The buses arose from the need to replace the library vehicle fleet and resulted in two Story Buses, named Sam and Nelly by the children, with exciting exterior designs by illustrator Nick Sharratt and interiors with well-designed spaces to sit and read.