Case studies

Through Local Area Coordination, service users stay strong, safe and connected in communities which are more welcoming, inclusive and supportive. As a result, they can find practical, non-service solutions to problems and generally avoid the use of acute front-line services which are increasingly unaffordable.

GoCA was made up of representatives from local community groups in Govanhill and was held accountable for its spend by the local community. The group was supported by Oxfam's UK Poverty Programme in Scotland, which helped facilitate the participatory budgeting process and bridged the perceived gap between public sector workers and GoCA members.

The strategy was produced with the help of a number of stakeholders, including public bodies, agencies, communities and citizens. Lambeth Citizens, part of Citizens UK, were hired as an integral part of the strategy's production, using their knowledge and expertise of the area to create a strategy which would be most beneficial to residents.

Between 2009 and 2010, a project known as ‘You Decide!' was given £4.76 million by the Tower Hamlet's Council, plus an additional £300,000 by the local Primary Care Trust (PCT), totalling over £5 million over the two years.

Participatory budgeting was created in Porto Alegre, a city of 1.3 million people in Brazil, in 1989.

Following an extensive period of public consultation in 2014/15 about proposed changes to the North Yorkshire County Council Library Service the decision was made in July 2015 to implement the strategy.

Providing local young people with skills to help them gain future employment. One of the unexpected benefits from this scheme has been a reduction in the use of temporary staff, with tens of thousands saved each year.

West Sussex County Council launched a social media campaign to showcase the work and services it provides. The 70-day #WestSussexMatters campaign has seen infographics posted on Twitter and Facebook, highlighting the ways in which the authority works to deliver key services.

BetterOff has been designed and commissioned to help reduce the welfare advice budget, improve service provision, encourage self-service and digital skills, maximise monetary gain and - crucially - embed the link between benefits and employment by combining them in one digital space.

West Suffolk's approach to supporting families and communities puts residents and elected councillors at the heart of making positive change. The approach identifies connectors - well connected, active local people – who can contribute to local solutions for the community.