Case studies

Southwark Council's ‘Choice and Liveability' project is an example of how councils can involve residents in street improvements. The project was a pilot that involved just four streets. However, as it worked well, the council has now committed to funding similar neighbourhood consultations for all future street improvements.

Transforming Neighbourhoods was a two-year programme of research, innovation and practical action carried out by the Young Foundation, with support from the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), between April 2005 and March 2007.

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham This article is the first in a series that will follow the progress made by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham towards a new, borough-wide neighbourhood management (NM) service.

With Rina Singh, Deputy Chief Executive, South Somerset District Council.

Background

South Somerset District Council has a history of successful community engagement and has achieved national recognition through the Beacon Scheme.

Summary Springfield Park is in an area of Cheltenham that ranks high in the tables of deprivation. Far from being the community asset it was designed to be, fears about personal safety and anti-social behaviour meant the park was shunned by local residents. Cheltenham Borough Council turned to the local community for a solution.

‘Together We Can' is a programme of community engagement work across Cumbria. One project in Harraby shows the positive impact the programme has had on the police, district and county council's work in communities. Its success prompted a visit by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009.

Lancashire County Council's Equalities and Cohesion team has designed a toolkit to help officers to consider the equality implications of prioritised activities and set actions to narrow the gaps between different groups of people.

Neighbourhood appraisal and action planning in South Tyneside: piloting a participatory appraisal approach Summary