Innovation

Coventry City Council

Urban-air port – worlds first vertiport

Coventry City Council as part of the West Midlands Combined Authority is in support of this innovative and ground-breaking programme being led by Urban-Air Port as part of the Future Flight Challenge, to demonstrate how revolutionary new modes of travel will increase mobility, help reduce Congestion, improve Air Quality, Support Last Mile Delivery’s, provide MaaS connectivity, create employment and increase UK manufacturing opportunities within the region. Securing a long-term reduction in urban road congestion (from both passenger trips and goods-delivery trips) is a major challenge for modern cities. 

Derby City Council with ICS.AI

Forward-thinking AI vision – embracing technology to enhance community engagement

In the face of financial challenges, Derby City Council innovatively embraced AI to transform public service delivery. Partnering with Derby Homes and ICS.AI, they introduced AI assistants Darcie and Ali to their main switchboard. This forward-thinking approach, involving collaborative development and advanced technology, led to handling over 195,000 phone interactions and achieving significant immediate cost savings. The transformative approach not only streamlined operations but also set a new benchmark in public service delivery, demonstrating the impactful integration of technology in local government.

Hertfordshire CC

Assistive technology for adult care services

An innovative Assistive Technology (AT) solution created in-house at Hertfordshire County Council, with the support of Adult Care Practitioners and families, supports residents to remain at home for longer, maintain independence and provides reassurance. The AT solution consists of an online dashboard providing a view of residents’ routines at home using various data points, gathered from a diverse set of sensors providing alerts to practitioners and carers when something is not right. Evidence from the pilot evaluation demonstrated reduced social care costs, reduced hospital admissions and family reassurance, resulting in the launch of AT across Hertfordshire from November 2023. 

Norfolk CC

Artificial intelligence and adult social care prevention

Norfolk County Council's adult social care service is demonstrating innovation by taking a proactive approach to preventing, reducing, and delaying demand. Starting with falls, we’re working alongside local partners and using shared data and artificial intelligence to predict older adults at risk of a fall and offer proactive interventions. Early pilot results show this is improving outcomes and residents’ lives. We’ve seen a 15% reduction in people fearing the impact of a fall and 100% quoted no recent falls since their intervention. Achieving this using artificial intelligence is laying the groundwork for an innovative approach to prevention in local government.

Shropshire Council

A new ‘mixed economy’ model for highways maintenance

Shropshire's road network, crucial for county prosperity, faced a crisis: mounting pothole backlogs, poor repairs and severe budget strains. Our sole provider contract model, lacking in service quality and value, was unsustainable. A strategic overhaul was essential. We pioneered a 'mixed economy model’ and formed 'find and fix' in-house teams for local, reactive services, complemented by an in-house drainage team and contracts with local providers. We realigned our core contractor to leverage their strengths. The result is a responsive, sustainable repair strategy, substantial savings, enhanced investment in Shropshire's highways and a ground-breaking model for local government. 

South Cambridgeshire DC

A four-day week trial

South Cambridgeshire District Council is the first local authority in the country to trial a four-day week. This was in response to an acute challenge in recruitment and retention due to the high cost of living locally and booming private sector – we were often training people to see them move to the private sector on higher pay and better terms and conditions. An initial three-month trial saw impressive results and a step change in employees’ health and wellbeing. A year-long trial is now being carried out to see if the initial benefits to recruitment and retention continue. 

Wakefield MDC

Innovating children's services: a national challenge tackled locally

How do you improve placement sufficiency without increasing places? How do you increase every success measure for children in council care while staying within budget? And how do you improve staff satisfaction at the same time? Ask Wakefield Council. In one year, it has transformed its approach to children’s homes and 16+ support, creating two-bed homes while closing its larger provision, and boldly opening the UK’s only therapeutic children’s home for de-escalating severe trauma, co-funded by health partners. This led to a 60% reduction in out-of-area placements and halving of placement moves to 6.5% (beating the national average of 10%). 

Warwick DC with Mobysoft

Innovating to empower: automated arrears prevention

Warwick District Council (WDC) and Mobysoft jointly submit an entry for the Innovation Award at the 2024 LGC Awards. WDC's integration of Mobysoft's RentSense and Automated Arrears Prevention (AAP) platforms showcases groundbreaking use of AI to proactively prevent tenants from falling into arrears. Despite a sector-wide increase in arrears, WDC achieved a 19% reduction, their lowest-ever arrears, and aided 139 households into credit. AAP's precision data-driven intervention demonstrates a shift towards preventing arrears, aligning with WDC's commitment to reducing financial stress for tenants. With a 95% accuracy rate, this innovative approach sets a new standard for arrears management.

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