Innovacion

Getting the big picture right: A guide to large scale urban design by CABE

Andy Rumfitt was a member of CABE's Strategic Urban Design Panel and the summary guide for large scale development and extensive online resources have now been published. 'Getting the big picture right' outlines a new approach to large scale urban design that allows people to shape the places they live or work in, and improve their distinctiveness and quality. It will help those organisations and partnerships – often with a mix of public and private partners – tasked with working with local people to prioritise actions and investment. The new guide is supported by a step-by-step guide to the large scale urban design process.

The CABE summary guide can be downloaded from here: http://www.cabe.org.uk/publications/getting-the-big-picture-right

For the extensive CABE web resource please go to: http://www.cabe.org.uk/strud

Innovacion develop ERDF bid for Business and IP Centre at British Library

Innovacion have been appointed to develop a multi-million pound ERDF funding bid for the highly successful Business and Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) at the British Library. Since 2006 the BIPC has supported 150,000 innovators, small firm owners and entrepreneurs with business formation and every step of the innovation cycle. The BIPC handles 2,300 business and IP inquiries a month and runs many partner workshops, open evenings and business clinics. The ask an expert service allows aspiring entrepreneurs to get advice from seasoned entrepreneurs, ex-Dragons and an in-house inventor. In 2008 the BIPC was identified as best practice in The Richard Report on Small Business and Government to the (then) Shadow Cabinet.

Making sense of community engagement: best practice from CAA Green Flags Local Authorities

Following an increasing policy focus on community engagement and empowerment over the last 5 to 10 years, a new Duty to Involve came into force for all local councils in April 2009. As well as the policy thrust, effective community engagement and empowerment makes sense for councils as it helps to build trust and to improve community relations. Three CAA Green Flag authorities (Lewisham, Wiltshire and East Riding) have been undertaking a range of innovative approaches to develop active citizens, strengthen community groups and improve their partnership working. These have included Area Boards and Local Assemblies, a Resource Advisory Group, long term relationships with the third sector and a Young Mayor programme. As a result increasing numbers of local people and partners have been involved in more devolved budget setting, service planning and agenda setting.

Download the case study produced by Innovacion for IDeA from the Work Together site 

Making sense of housing - best practice from CAA green flag local authorities

With 2.5 million council tenants currently and an additional three million homes planned by 2020 local authorities play a major role in the management and development of housing locally. Local Authorities are having to respond to future challenges including how to provide more (affordable) housing in better designed places, how to reduce homelessness levels and how to respond to demographic trends. The CAA Green Flag authorities of Blackpool, Corby and North Yorkshire County Council have undertaken a range of innovative and successful housing activities. Blackpool Council has substantially reduced its levels of homelessness through a range of initiatives. Corby Borough Council has 16,000 new homes planned or built and has secured £2 billion of investment. Working in partnership with seven district councils, housing associations and other partners North Yorkshire County Council has developed 11 new Extra Care schemes which provide a new independent living option for its ageing population.

Download the case study produced by Innovacion for IDeA from the Work Together site 

Lichfield leads the way with Open Data Election Project

In central, regional and local government there is an increasing desire to share data more widely to improve transparency and accountability and to reduce duplication.  As an early adopter Lichfield District Council has been actively sharing a range of local data for some time.  In March 2010 the Council was the first authority to make its local election results openly available as part of the Open Election Data Project.  By making small changes in how their local election results are displayed local authorities can jointly work towards creating a free national database of local election results and undertake a low risk, low cost pilot in implementing the open data agenda. Read more about the Open Data Election Project in Innovacion's case study at:

Lichfield District Council - Open Data Election Project

IDeA - Open Data

Local by Social - Local Authority Use of Social Media

Innovacion completed three social media case studies which have recently been published on IDeA's knowledge hub.

Kent County Council is opening up data to help citizens make use of it through the 'Pic and Mix' project and is using social media tools to enable better internal communications.

Kent County Council Social Media Case Study

Devon County Council has been developing its Social Media strategy and is using social media to reach young pregnant teens, promote cultural events and libraries and save money in internal communications.

Devon County Council Social Media Case Study

Brent Council is using social media over a range of services and is continuing to develop its approach.

London Borough of Brent Social Media Case Study

Best Pratice in Local Government: Social Media, Housing and Community Engagement

IDeA have commissioned Innovacion to produce three case studies looking at leading edge use of social media in three Local Authorities (Brent Council, Devon County Council and Kent County Council) to assist IDeA in their development of a new Knowledge Hub application. Innovacion are also developing two Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) Green Flag case studies examining best practice in housing (Blackpool Council, Corby Council, North Yorkshire County Council, Hambleton Council) and community engagement (Lewisham Council, Wiltshire Council and East Riding Council).

Andy Rumfitt appointed to Yorkshire Design Review Service

Andy Rumfitt has been appointed as a panel member of the new Yorkshire and Humberside Design Review Service being established under the Integreat Yorkshire programme which is run by Yorkshire Forward.  

The Design Review Service panel will discuss projects in the context of criteria of good design and provide views of how well or otherwise that the project addresses those criteria. The aim is to assist the project team by providing useful feedback to enable improvements in their design proposals.

The Design Review Service will provide advice on a wide range of built environment issues including new buildings, masterplans, green spaces, urban frameworks and other planning and spatial strategies.

TCPA Sustainable Communities and Planning Conference: 1 Dec 2009

This conference celebrates the Centenary of the Housing and Town Planning Act 1909 and addresses the planning challenges of today. As John Burns, President of the Local Government Board, said, the 1909 Act would ‘provide a domestic condition for the people in which their physical health, their morals, their character, and their whole social condition can be improved’. While ‘morals’ are now left to those outside the planning system, it is still through planning that housing and social conditions can be improved, and the new, big challenge is, of course, climate change.

Download TCPA Annual Conference 1 Dec 2009 Brochure

Andy Rumfitt appointed as a Delivering Design Quality Enabler for Transform South Yorkshire

Andy Rumfitt has been appointed as a Delivering Design Quality Enabler for Transform South Yorkshire. Andy will bring his 18 years of economic development experience from many different areas and geographies to help the largest Housing Market Renewal area to champion design, build capacity, develop projects and disseminate best practice.  Including Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham Transform South Yorkshire covers 130,000 dwellings and almost 300,000 residents.

How 7,500 residents are improving their lifestyles in Sunderland

With significant health inequalities occurring in eleven of its 25 wards, Sunderland City Council and Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust have created a comprehensive city-wide Wellness Service to positively improve lifestyles and encourage physical activity.  Delivery occurs through six Wellness Centres, often with other co-located services, and at other community locations which specifically target the deprived areas of the city.  Over 7,500 residents are now members of these centres and there are over 300,000 visits each year.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library

Midlands Highways Alliance: collaborating to save £11 million in maintenance costs by 2011

Working under the East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnership, the Midlands Highways Alliance will save the region £11 million across highways maintenance and improvements by 2011. Supported by Constructing Excellence, the nine councils in the region and Highways Agency have been making efficiency savings through procurement frameworks for major and medium sized highways schemes and professional civil engineering services, sharing best practice in maintenance contracts and by the joint procurement of commodities such as salt.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library

How Sunderland got 91% of its young offenders engaged in education, employment or training and exceeded the national average by 20%

By obtaining comprehensive and timely data, creating a Difficult to Place Panel, developing an innovative New Direction programme and agreeing restorative justice contracts with 60 local firms Sunderland City Council's Youth Offending Service has increased the proportion of young offenders in employment, education or training from 76% in 2004 to 91% in 2008, 20% above the national average.  The New Direction programme is an award winning unpaid work scheme for long term unemployed offenders that develops ‘trade skills’ in young people.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library

How Tower Hamlets successfully integrated their Local Development Framework with their Community Plan

Following the withdrawal of their first Local Development Framework Core Strategy in 2006, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets has linked a new version with their Community Plan.  Planners have been closely involved in revising the Community Plan for the area to 2020 and turning the Local Development Framework into the delivery plan for the vision of creating "One Tower Hamlets" and improving social cohesion.  The innovative spatial idea is re-inventing the 24 hamlets of the Borough through detailed place plans whose delivery will be managed through the Local Strategic Partnership.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library

How Lincolnshire County Council is helping vulnerable people at risk of losing their homes

Lincolnshire County Council has been able to help a struggling housing support service to develop new and innovative services that help to prevent homelessness just as the issue has been rising rapidly up the political agenda.  Using dedicated innovation funds local service providers developed new ideas to address housing support service gaps and prevent homelessness.  Projects included a court repossession referral service and an expansion of credit union services.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library

How Manchester halved the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in four years

Manchester has halved the number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) in just four years through detailed geographical research of the incidence and nature of the NEET group, by recruiting a dedicated NEET co-ordinator and developing a multi-agency NEET programme as part of their Children's Board.  By aligning funding from a number of sources and through joint commissioning a range of NEET engagement and aspiration raising activities has been undertaken with young people and specifically the five secondary schools that produce the highest number of NEET pupils.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library

How Monmouthshire used Open Strategy to hear every voice in their Local Strategic Partnership

The Monmouthshire Local Strategic Partnership was struggling to gain buy-in from local people and to start implementation.  Conventional approaches to agreeing one clear purpose did not work well for the complex nature of communities and the many agencies involved in the partnership.  In response OpenStrategy was adopted to structure information using a common language and capture the results using web-based software.  As a result each voice is now heard more equally, implementation gaps are identified and addressed, and there is greater commitment to realistic and joined up actions across the new Local Service Board.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library

How housing is supporting the Community Strategy, Local Area Agreement targets and Local Strategic Partnership in Hull

Hull City Council has closely integrated their new Housing Strategy with their Community Strategy, Local Strategic Partnership and a range of national indicators from their Local Area Agreements.  This was made possible by having four clear outcomes in the Community Strategy which were supported by two objectives in the Housing Strategy.  Hull City Council identified the direct and indirect impact of housing services on the four outcomes by reviewing international and national evidence, secured full Cabinet support at an early stage and completed a comprehensive consultation programme to develop the Housing Strategy.  The benefits have been much improved understanding amongst all Council staff and partners about the contribution of housing, more inquiries handled at first point of contact by housing staff and increased joint working both internally, especially with Hull City Council’s Children and Young People’s Services, and externally with partners including the Primary Care Trust.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library

How Waltham Forest's Worknet Partnership is integrating the delivery of employment and skill interventions

Worklessness remains a major issue in Waltham Forest and a focus for action by the LSP and in the LAA.  Local services were fragmented and the response was unstrategic.  The Worknet Partnership concept was developed in 2005/6 but was only able to be taken forward following an independent review of LSP in 2006 and with the availability of City Strategy funding from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Worknet provides advice, training and job brokerage support.  Worknet involves the development of 32 single access points across the Borough staffed by Worknet Advisers from six different organisations and backed by a customised web-based software system.  An innovative pilot project with Registered Social Landlords has also been started.  While it is still early days procurement has already become more coherent, the delivery structure has become more joined up and some initial value for money improvements have been achieved.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library

How Croydon Council's carbon management plan is reducing carbon emissions by 2,000 tonnes each year

Recent and planned environmental legislation together with a history of energy management led Croydon Council to develop a comprehensive carbon management programme with the help of the Carbon Trust. Operating for the last four years, the programme aims to reduce carbon emissions from the Council's activities.  Actions have focussed on making energy saving improvements across the Council's property portfolio and their housing stock, street lighting, the vehicle fleet, staff travel modes, computing services and in new developments.  As a result in 2007/8 over 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and just under £100,000 were saved.

Read more in Innovacion's case study in IDeA's Partnership and Places library