Case studies

Holly Garner and Parveen Devi, communications officers from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, share their innovative approach to getting people back to the high street, and boosting the local economy, as part of the post-pandemic recovery.

Not sounding like a council, and user-generated content, were the hallmarks of this successful campaign. Louisa Dean, head of communications at the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, explains how the council encouraged people to return to local high streets and attractions to support the post-pandemic economy.

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.

Work Well Suffolk is a locally integrated coaching and employment service that tackles the deep-seated barriers to work for all who need it. The service acts as the ‘cement between the bricks’ of the health, employability, skills and wellbeing services that are available to people in Suffolk. It will ensure that individuals can gain bespoke and timely access to relevant services whilst blending in coaching, employability support, skills provision, advice and guidance.

Apprenticeships Suffolk is an impartial and completely free service being offered by Suffolk County Council as part of their strategic aim to increase the quality and quantity of apprenticeships within the county, thereby supporting businesses and helping to achieve economic growth.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council launched the Workshop, an Employment, Training and Skills Hub in the town centre. Utilising its successful bid for Accelerated Town Deal Funding the council repurposed a vacant shop situated in the town centre to create the hub. Through this space, local residents are provided with personalised career support to help them access training, employment or education advice to facilitate their ambition to deliver an economically prosperous and inclusive borough.

East Staffordshire Borough Council successfully bid for £23.8 million of funding to regenerate Burton upon Trent. Collaborating with key partners including the universities, colleges and the county council has been key to accessing the towns fund and drive regeneration. In doing so, the council aims to cement itself as a place of learning and opportunity and help close the skills gap to achieve long term economic prosperity locally and regionally.

Breckland Council has launched a year long project, Future Breckland: Thriving People and Places. This project is a significant undertaking which is designed to help Breckland bounce back from the challenges of COVID-19.

The Essex and Herts Digital Innovation Zone (DIZ), co-founded and led by Epping Forest District Council, is a cross-sector, cross-border partnership seeking to explore the opportunities of digital infrastructure, applications and innovations to future-proof local economies and the provision of health and social care. The DIZ is delivered in partnership with Essex County Council and Hertfordshire County Council as well as five district councils (Broxbourne, East Herts, Epping Forest, Harlow, and Uttlesford), and partners from the health, higher and further education, voluntary and community sectors and the private sector. The DIZ has an ambition to be recognised as a ‘beacon’ area for place-based digital innovation. applications and innovations, to future proof local economies and the provision of health and social care.

Founded by the Forest of Dean District Council in 2018, the Forest Economic Partnership (FEP) is an award-winning voluntary community partnership with the vision of making the Forest of Dean a vibrant and thriving place to live, work, study and do business. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, plays or studies in the Forest of Dean District or is interested in participating in FEP’s activities. FEP’s mission is to deliver a thriving economy in the Forest of Dean District by connecting businesses, councils, people, ideas and resources.