Case studies

Digital technology can provide huge advantages to businesses in town centres and other places if take-up and future opportunities can be properly understood. The Digital High Street Project aims to help place managers understand and improve the ways that local consumer-facing business are adopting digital technologies. 

Support from the Productivity Experts Programme was secured to assist with the design and delivery of a new joint approach to regeneration and economic growth for the recently established shared Regeneration service of Lewes District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council.

The assignment was to review the planning (development management) and enforcement service, advise on best practice, the potential for productivity gains and any other improvements that could be made to realise efficiency gains – in order that these could be embedded within any new managerial approach or operational structure adopted within the service. 

The Bradford City Centre Growth Scheme was created to support the economic growth and resilience of the City Centre. It has assisted 86 vacant units in being brought back into commercial use and encouraged 230 businesses to either open or expand operations.

In 2018, South Kesteven District Council began an ambitious programme of transformation and modernisation. This case study forms part of our productivity experts resource.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is an ambitious local authority, with a housing policy focused on maximising use of the HRA and council assets to support existing communities and as a tool to lever in matching support from Government, the third sector and private developers.

In 2011, Camden Council developed its community investment programme (CIP) to support the delivery of funds to improve existing housing stock, invest in schools and community centres and build new housing (both new council housing and housing for sale).

Stroud District Council has a proactive enabling approach to tackle the housing issues in a growing and attractive rural district made up of many villages and small towns.

North Kesteven District Council adopted an ambitious programme of council housebuilding in the early/middle part of the decade.

Sutton is an outer London council that has retained its stock, delivering management via its Sutton Housing Partnership arms-length management organisation (ALMO).