Local government & public services

Innovation and value: new tools for local government in tough times

Publication 1 March 2010

In 2010, there was widespread awareness that the scale of budget cuts needed was beyond the domain of what can be delivered by traditional efficiency programmes. The key questions were how to manage the approach to efficiency? How to make

Public services and civil society working together

Publication 1 December 2009

The report explores the evidence to suggest outcomes are improved when public services and civil society work hand in hand, and develops five new ways to do just that – from community entrepreneurs to asset sharing, new performance measures to

Incentive cards and behaviour change in London

Publication 30 November 2009

This report by the Young Foundation as part of the London Collaborative was commissioned by Capital Ambition. It considers the opportunities to influence the behaviour of Londoners though a pan-London smart card which was then subject to a wider feasibility

Taking the lead: Youth leadership in theory and practice

Publication 1 October 2009

This report asks what is youth leadership? Why does it matter? And how can we support and nurture the development of our young leaders? Taking the lead critically investigates youth leadership, bringing together experts’ views and best practice from around

Joining the Conversation: an introduction to hyperlocal media

Publication 30 July 2009

This paper provides an overview of hyperlocal uses of the internet and how they can be useful to local government. Published by the Young Foundation in collaboration with Local Government Improvement and Development and the Local Government Association (LGA), updated

Citizen engagement and accountability: prospects for the future?

Publication 30 May 2009

Engagement and accountability have become mainstream concepts in the public sector. Since 2000, there has been a cascade of reform from Whitehall, channelled through local government and other public services, to increase engagement and accountability – white papers, citizens’ juries,

Metropolitan metrics: measuring success of a collaborative city

Publication 1 April 2009

The London Collaborative worked with network members and policy officers to help test and develop thinking on the benefits, use and focus of a set of London wide measures of success. The piece was intended to inform reflection on how

Neighbourhood working and organisational culture

Publication 1 January 2009

Neighbourhood working and organisational culture: A scoping paper for the Neighbourhood Action Network. Over the last decade there has been a growing acknowledgement within local government that one of the major impediments to improving service delivery is the culture of

Devolving funds to local communities

Publication 1 August 2008

Nationally, much emphasis has been placed on the opportunities to devolve funds to localities as a way to promote spending effectiveness, as well as engage and empower residents. Many local authorities have developed different ways to enable residents or councillors

The London Collaborative: State of Play

Publication 1 June 2008

The London Collaborative was an ambitious programme designed to improve the capacity of London’s public sector to work across boundaries of place, profession and organisation in order to meet future challenges facing the capital. This publication provides an overview of

A Collaborative City? A snapshot of current collaboration across the public sector in London

Publication 1 April 2008

This paper sketches a picture of current capacity for joint and strategic working across tiers of government and public services in London. It looks at the kinds of partnerships, networks and other mechanisms that exist, at perceptions of how well

Developing leadership capability for a collaborative city