How 3 local councils are injecting fresh social value into their communities

When it comes to social value, it can be difficult for local councils to know where their attention is most needed. There are a seemingly unending amount of themes you could focus on, from climate change to economic equality to wellbeing. You can’t exactly ignore some but not others, yet you don’t want to be spread too thin.

Don’t be. Let’s think about this in a new way. Recently in the news, we’ve seen stories of councils finding innovative ways to address pressing local issues. And it’s this out-of-the-box thinking that will continue to push social value forward in the public sector. 

Your options are endless. And while you could return to the same actions and interventions again and again, there’s also something to be said for getting creative, exploring partnerships, and offering your community something new and exciting. Here are the innovative ways three councils are working hard to support their communities and make them stronger in the process.

Reducing social isolation

Loneliness is a pervasive issue all over the country – especially in older generations. And it can have significant impacts on both people’s mental and physical health.

So Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has introduced four new ‘Connected Cafes’ in a bid to tackle social isolation. These are sites with a designated table for customers to sit at if they’re open to connecting with others.

This is the newest initiative by The Loneliness Network – a collaboration between the council and the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. Their ultimate goal is to raise awareness of loneliness and to find new and creative ways to tackle the issue across the borough.

“Although [Connected Cafes] are a small gesture, actions like this can make all the difference for people and give them the opportunity to make important connections.” – Leah Glass, health and wellbeing locality lead at the Northern Trust

Encouraging digital inclusion

If the past few years have shown us anything, it’s the incredible way the online world can keep us connected. But after issuing a survey, Southampton City Council found that only 54% of social housing tenants access the internet daily. A quarter never access the internet, with 62% of those either not knowing how or lacking access.

Realising the extent of local digital poverty, the council has now joined forces with full-fibre internet provider toob. Together, they want to ensure as many people as possible have access to all the economic, social, and cultural advantages that come from being online.

18,000 council housing residents will have access to toob’s broadband service over the next 18 months. And this will hopefully make large strides towards bridging their digital divide.

“We want to ensure that communities in Southampton benefit from increased choice of broadband providers to enable them to have good access to the internet and flourish. This will help create economic, social and cultural benefits and create neighbourhoods where people want to live.” – Councillor Spiros Vassiliou, Southampton City Council

A streamlined social housing service

An integral part of social housing is effective and efficient communication with residents. But this can be a logistical nightmare. Especially for time-poor housing teams who have countless other responsibilities to juggle.

To combat this, Luton Borough Council has announced a seven-year deal with software provider Civica. They’ll be using a suite of software to streamline and improve the service they offer to residents. It’s predicted the deal will simplify the management of 7,000 properties, 1,100 temporary residences, and 1,500 garages.

By enabling a more joined-up approach and better oversight, the council can reduce response times to residents. It’s hoped they’ll also be able to offer quicker resolutions to issues. A smarter, more agile approach to housing management should also free up time. Meaning they’ll be able to get out from behind their desks and deliver more outreach programmes within the community.

“This new platform will improve resident and stakeholder engagement, allowing us to better capture feedback and ideas from a much wider demographic – ultimately leading to better, safer homes for everyone.” – Colin Moone, service director for housing at Luton

There you have three examples of councils leveraging their connections and creative ideas to solve pressing issues in their communities. The world of social value can be vast and ill-defined. But this also presents a brilliant opportunity for you to find innovative ways to solve society’s problems.

Impact is an intelligent, intuitive tool for capturing, evaluating, and reporting your social value. Putting the process on autopilot, our platform is easy to use and will capture all the data needed to visualise how your initiatives are performing. To find out more, schedule a demo or get in touch with the team on 0161 532 4752.