Category: How we did it
Hearing from Hackney around their work around libraries as safe spaces and community hubs
27th April, 2026
Hearing about the strengthening solidarity and cohesion in Adur and Worthing Councils
27th March, 2026
Embracing a ‘doing with’ rather than a ‘doing to’ approach to working with communities is the aspiration for many forward thinking councils. Achieving this work is complex and needs all […]
24th March, 2026
Hearing about the Connected Communities vision at Ealing Council
28th January, 2026
Hearing about the Together we are powered by communities strategy at Westmorland and Furness Council
2nd December, 2025
With rising pressure on services, growing inequality, and communities feeling more divided, councils are looking for practical ways to rebuild trust and connection. This session explores how cohesion grows when […]
1st December, 2025
Integrated working across services, delivered within trusted community spaces, is a powerful way to provide better support for residents. Community assets such as libraries and cultural venues are often ideal […]
1st December, 2025
Hearing about the Change Maker programme at Westminster City Council
18th November, 2025
Hearing about outcomes partnerships with Bridges Outcomes Partnerships and AllChild
11th November, 2025
Outcomes focused • Partnerships • Prevention • Public Services
Exploring South Staffordshire's digital journey with residents at its heart
22nd October, 2025
digital transformation • Partnerships • Place • Public Services
Exploring a project targeting specific priority areas within a place as a way of tackling inequality and disadvantage
17th October, 2025
Building trust and lasting relationships between councils and communities across a place starts with genuine engagement—bringing staff and local stakeholders together to listen, learn, and co-produce solutions is a vital […]
16th September, 2025
Working collaboratively with communities and partners to help create vibrant and thriving places is a focus for many local authorities. Bringing everyone along on the journey and doing this during/following local […]
16th July, 2025
Exploring how local authorities can integrate climate risk into their strategic planning and work through the significant impacts on future service delivery.
23rd June, 2025
Climate change • Partnerships • Public Services • Transformation
Bridging the digital divide is essential for local authorities striving to create inclusive and thriving communities.
18th March, 2025
Tackling empty homes in the UK is a critical step toward addressing the housing crisis and revitalizing communities.
27th February, 2025
Neighbourhood ways of working are being considered by many councils as a way to bring them closer to their communities.
4th December, 2024
Many councils have committed to net zero, but embedding climate resilience into whole-organisation transformation remains a major challenge. This session will explore how local authorities can integrate climate risk into […]
11th November, 2024
Adopting a ‘communities in the lead’ approach is gaining traction across local authorities. What this means for different places varies, but the focus of improving the lives of residents and […]
11th November, 2024
Tackling inequality and disadvantage head on by targeting resources at the most deprived areas within your patch is a brave proposal. How transformative can this approach be within a long-term strategy? […]
11th November, 2024
Bridging the digital divide is essential for local authorities striving to create inclusive and thriving communities. Addressing digital literacy challenges empowers individuals to better access opportunities and engage with local […]
11th November, 2024
Tackling empty homes in the UK is a critical step toward addressing the housing crisis and revitalizing communities. With thousands of properties lying unused while housing demand continues to soar, […]
11th November, 2024
Using outcomes-focused relational working to reduce demand on statutory services can be difficult, but it has the potential to help local authorities effectively deliver preventative interventions.
5th November, 2024
Childrens' Services • Health and social care • Prevention • Public Services
We put Hal Khanom in our ‘How We Did It’ hot seat to hear how the London Borough of Barnet has developed its equalities strategy, A Fairer Barnet.
17th October, 2024
Community engagement • Community Power • Equality • Local government • Strategy and leadership
Working towards a fairer share of wealth across a locality helps bind communities together and gives the impetus to help drive forward the local economy.
15th October, 2024
Creating a strategy that is shaped by frontline services as well as those accessing them is vital for local authorities.
17th September, 2024
Making the case for preventative services can be difficult, so it is vital that interventions can evidence their efficacy. Bridges Outcomes Partnerships have been working as part of the changing […]
23rd July, 2024
Tackling inequalities within communities is a vital issue for all local authorities. But often equalities strategies do not deliver for residents in a way that they expect or need. How […]
22nd July, 2024
Neighbourhood ways of working are being considered by many councils as a way to bring them closer to their communities. The opportunities it can foster include building better relationships and delivering […]
19th July, 2024
Maximising and building a strong local economy is essential to help communities thrive. Councils can use economic levers and work with their communities, anchor institutions and businesses to help drive forward […]
18th July, 2024
Lydia Hutchings and Beth Kilheeney explain how the Greater Manchester Better Outcomes Partnership works with young people to prevent homelessness and how the project is being evaluated.
11th July, 2024
Community Power • Homelessness • Measurement and Evaluation • Public Services • Young people
Real-time data is a powerful tool for councils. Throughout the life cycle of a project, data can show what works and what doesn’t, leading to better decision making and improved outcomes.
10th July, 2024
Measuring and feeding back as a continual cycle to projects, gives the opportunity to improve outcomes for communities. A vital element of setting up any new project is how to […]
28th November, 2023
Community engagement • Community-led • Measurement and Evaluation
Helen Chicot from Rochdale Council introduces a three-year project which has used Good Help principles to tackle the council’s most pressing challenges, transforming the way the way it works and its relationships with residents.
24th November, 2023
Community engagement • Community Power • Health and social care • Local government • Public Services
Councils are often looking for new and innovative ways to engage and hear from people in their communities. Designing spaces and conversations that ensure you create a comfortable and productive […]
16th November, 2023
Lorinda Freint from Richmond and Wandsworth Councils and Bex Trevalyan from Platform Places introduce a new process to unlock town centre buildings and explain how they got started in Wandsworth Town.
17th October, 2023
Xia Lin from Toynbee Hall introduces a research method designed to embed resident participation in local change-making.
6th September, 2023
Community engagement • Community Power • Local government • Participation and co-production
The cost of energy to power and heat homes, offices and buildings is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many councils and businesses. With councils having huge increases in their own energy […]
19th July, 2023
Co-designing with marginalised communities can have hugely positive impacts but is often a challenge for many local authorities to do in reality. At this session we heard from Toynbee Hall […]
7th June, 2023
Ben Hughes from Essex County Council shares his experience of setting up the Essex Recovery Foundation and putting the community at the heart of service design.
15th February, 2023
Commissioning and Procurement • Community engagement • Community Power • Local government • Public Services
What if the help your services delivered didn’t just solve one issue but prevented more across your community? COVID has exposed and accelerated numerous crises in our communities that all […]
20th January, 2023
Rough sleeping is a real and heart-breaking challenge facing councils up and down the country. Providing safe and secure homes is transformational for those living on the streets. At this […]
20th January, 2023
From housing to addiction, councils are moving towards person-led services. This approach puts people in the driving seat instead of letting the institution dictate what happens to them. It works, […]
15th December, 2022
If you are thinking of shaking up the way your council does asset transfer in the future or are intrigued to hear more about how to use asset transfer to […]
15th December, 2021
Councils know they need to respond quickly to the energy crisis in a practical way for vulnerable residents. A popular approach has been creating and supporting ‘warm spaces’ for residents. […]
15th December, 2021
The cost-of-living crisis is a live emergency facing councils and communities up and down the country. Councils are searching for innovative ways to tackle the challenges that constant rising prices […]
15th December, 2021
A citizens’ assembly can be incredibly powerful. Run it right and you’ll bring together diverse voices from your community to crack your biggest challenges. But delivering this delicate mix of […]
15th December, 2021