Seeing the light

Innovation in local public services

Released 16 May 2007

Price: £25 | ISBN: 1 86240 532 8 | Stock code: LNR3392

Summary [Download full report below this summary]

This report is intended to encourage local authorities to work in new ways to achieve continual improvement and to fulfil their new place shaping role.

Authorities can organise themselves in ways that make innovation more likely and need to use effective change management to implement innovative ideas successfully.

Innovations don't spread as quickly or as widely as they might and central agencies could do more to help overcome the barriers to sharing innovative practice.

Local authorities need to:

identify opportunities
embed creativity
take well-managed risks
share innovative practice

Included in this report are the recommendations for local government bodies and central government departments and how the Audit Commission can provide support.

Case studies

Bristol City Council: Widening political participation through cross party councillor shadowing - A cross-party councillor shadowing scheme undertaken in partnership with Operation Black Vote, where members of the BME community shadow councillors over an eight-month period.
eaSY Connects: A hub for accessing services in South Yorkshire - Access to services provided by partners across South Yorkshire through e@SY Connects, an online hub available through public kiosks, mobile technology, the internet and digital television.
London Borough of Sutton: Helping children who have witnessed domestic violence - A community group treatment programme for child witnesses of domestic violence, offering specialist counselling treatment for children aged 4 to 16 to help them understand their experiences of abuse.
London Borough of Sutton: Using tablet PCs in financial assessments - The use of tablet personal computers (PCs) for home visit financial assessments to reduce the cost and processing time of benefits applications.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority: Embedding community fire safety - A community strategy for fire prevention based on home fire safety checks and ethnic minority, deaf, and over-60s advocates embedded in at-risk communities.
New Forest and Test Valley District Councils: A new kind of partnership - Jointly delivered services, including buildings work, waste, recycling and cleansing services, transport management and grounds maintenance, with structures varying from joint management to a single delivered service.
Wiltshire County Council: Working with communities in Wiltshire - Community area partnerships and plans based on local priorities (in 20 areas) which feed into service planning and cabinet and scrutiny structures and with explicit links to partners.
Woking Borough Council: Cutting down the carbon footprint - A programme of climate change measures from the mid-1990s, including energy stations, carbon savings measures and commercial ventures, to deliver energy and environmental projects.
Wolverhampton Bereavement Centre: A single point of contact for settling the affairs of the deceased - A joined-up bereavement service, including the co-location of benefits staff and the electronic recording and notification of bereavement across council departments.