Case studies

South Cambridgeshire District Council formed the Business Support and Development team in summer 2020 to provide essential services and impact economic growth across the district. One of their first tasks was to assist in the distribution of government grants throughout the pandemic. The focus progressed to how the council could further help businesses as we emerged from the pandemic, which led to the development and launch of the Visit South Cambs website.

The Basildon Advice Store opened in 2019 and is run by Basildon Council. Residents may walk in and use it to access employment-related skills from a range of local providers.

Live Well Kent (LWK) is a county-wide free service to help residents over 17 improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing. Services are provided by an extensive network of community organisations, coordinated by two strategic partners, within a single framework.

Cherwell District Council has a strong belief in working with its communities to reduce health and income inequalities and improve community cohesion.

Working Win was a trial programme of health-led employment support run by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority in partnership with Department of Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.

Oldham Council's vision is to be Greater Manchester’s "inclusive economy capital", by making the most of local assets and resources, including local purchasing, supporting local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and working with the community and voluntary sector. This ethos can be seen in their work on food and green spaces, crucial to the health and wellbeing of residents.

Wakefield Council has a range of coordinated and evidence-based projects and programmes which aim to improve the wellbeing of residents, help them into the job market and raise aspirations. They are carefully structured and monitored to produce the best results. 

Wigan Council's Collections team used behavioural insights to encourage tenants who were in arrears and who had not been in contact with the Collections team to get in touch and access support. The team sent a one-page letter to tenants – written with an empathetic tone emphasising support rather than arrears and rent collection, and featuring a single call-to-action. Laura Melling of Wigan Council reflects on the project.

Broxtowe Borough Council has launched a new mixed-use leisure development in Beeston, Nottingham. The development features an Arc Cinema Complex with plans in place for three new food and drink retail outlets and is aimed at bolstering the visitor economy and night-time economy to encourage people to live and work in Beeston. It is hailed as a model for the post COVID-19 revival of the UK’s town centres for playing its part in “community wealth building”.

In our webinar ‘Climate change: what next for local authorities?’, Manchester City Council set out the communications work it is undertaking to help make Manchester a zero carbon city by 2038.