Resource Type: Webinar replay

In 2021, the Place team at Local Partnerships secured an LGA grant and launched an SME pilot initiative with three local authorities.

Under this initiative, councils have been approved to contract a select group of SMEs in their areas to forward-purchase newly constructed affordable homes off-plan, paying in stages at a fixed price. This initiative complements other supply-side actions the councils are taking to unlock new-build affordable housing and expand council-owned stock. Councils work with local SMEs, who identify suitable sites and secure planning permission as usual.

Building on the pilot’s success, Local Partnerships has collaborated with other councils, including Rotherham Borough Council, which is now developing a new SME kickstart initiative. This initiative provides a fast-track route for SMEs to build homes on small sites within Rotherham Borough that they secure themselves.

If you’re interested in learning more about how this approach has successfully delivered high-quality, affordable homes in Rotherham—and how it could benefit your area—watch our webinar webinar.

“PFI Expiry: How London Boroughs Can Get Ahead” is a research-based guide produced by Future of London, in partnership with Devonshires and Airey Miller, on the impending expiry of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts across London boroughs.

The report aims to offer practical insights and recommendations to help local authorities manage the complex challenges of PFI expiry while seizing the opportunities for improved public service delivery.

This research, conducted throughout 2024, draws on desk research, polls, roundtables, and in-depth interviews with borough directors and officers. The findings highlight the significant risks associated with inadequate preparation for PFI expiry, including financial losses and operational disruptions. The report also presents five key factors for success, based on real-world insights, to help boroughs mitigate these risks and optimise outcomes.

The document provides a clear roadmap for local authorities, offering guidance on how to navigate the expiry process, build necessary expertise, and engage stakeholders effectively. Additionally, it includes recommendations and resources for boroughs to enhance their PFI readiness and make informed decisions that benefit their communities in the long term.

Commercial waste services are a vital component of effective Recycling and Waste Management strategies, directly influencing the reputation, operational efficiency, and financial health of local authorities.

Optimising these services can lead to significant improvements in performance and financial outcomes for local councils.

The Commercial Waste Toolkit is designed to support local authorities in evaluating and enhancing their commercial waste operations. A well-structured commercial waste service not only enhances service delivery but also drives profitability, market share, and adaptability to future policy changes. At Local Partnerships, we have a proven track record of helping local authorities successfully navigate these critical transitions.

Electric Vehicle and Charging Infrastructure Grant

We hosted a webinar to introduce the 2024-2025 ZEV and EVCI grant programme, which aims to support public sector organisations in Wales in their transition to zero-emission vehicles. The webinar was accompanied by a detailed slide deck that walked participants through the key aspects of the grant, including eligibility, funding details, and the application process.

The slides covered the main goals of the grant, such as promoting cleaner transportation and reducing carbon emissions, with specific targets for the adoption of ZEVs by 2025 and 2030.

Additionally, we provided guidance on related topics, such as sustainable staff travel, to help organisations align with broader decarbonisation efforts.

The webinar and slide deck were designed to give participants a clear understanding of how to take advantage of this funding opportunity and make meaningful progress toward greener transportation solutions.

Using mapping tools to help councils make decisions – how geo-analytics can support decision making.

The webinar covers : how mapping tools can improve decision making in the design and delivery of council services  what data, tools and inputs are required to develop an effective mapping tool  how users practically use a recent mapping tool we developed to get the insight they need other use cases where similar mapping approaches could support councils

Whether it be public or private sector, the role of offices and the workplace has changed drastically since the pandemic, with the need for space in terms of both quantity and type altering significantly. It also has an impact on work styles, organisational culture, the wellbeing of staff and carbon emissions.

Local Partnerships and ACES explore issues with some notable experts, including Jackie Sadek, Chair of the UK Innovation Corridor, and commentators in our “Offices for Good” series.

Ynni Cymru energy seminars are now available to watch on demand. Delivered by the Ynni Cymru team in partnership with Local Partnerships, these free seminar replays will help you understand today’s energy systems and explore how we can work together to design a system fit for the future.

As part of the Cooperation Agreement, Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government share an ambition to establish a publicly owned energy company for Wales – Ynni Cymru. The company’s mission is to expand community-owned renewable energy generation and support the growth of Smart Local Energy Systems across Wales.

By accessing the Ynni Cymru energy seminar replays, you can catch up on expert insights into energy generation, distribution, and management – and see how your community or organisation can play a part in building a cleaner, more resilient energy future.

This Commercial guidance and toolkit is intended to take councils through a structured and robust approach to considering commercial activity.
Following this introduction, there is an overview of key overarching considerations setting out what commercial means for councils and how this can be achieved.

The overview is followed by five stages representing a commercial journey. These cover the commercial lifecycle from developing a commercial strategy through to reviewing success and addressing issues that reviews may highlight. Below each of these main sections there is more detailed guidance providing additional information around subjects such as the skills, capability, culture and structure of your service/s.

Replay our free “Leveraging data and visualisation for informed decision-making” webinar.

In a time where councils are asked to deliver more whilst budgets are being squeezed, the effective use of data can help key decision makers to allocate resources wisely and effectively.

Our data analytics team outlined a step by step approach to translate a vision into measurable targets and practical approaches to use data visualisation to evidence progress against those targets.

The webinar covered:

• benefits and challenges of a data-driven approaches to decision making
• translating visions into measurable targets using Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
• embedding benefits measurement in the project delivery cycle using visualisation to support decision making and prioritisation

A template ‘Temporary accommodation model’ for demonstrating the financial case for investing capital to reduce the revenue costs of temporary accommodation.

Our Sourcing Playbook Webinar was to share the learning from our DLUHC funded Hands-On Sourcing Support Programme, through which 16 councils were supported to put the sourcing playbook into practice.

We were joined by DLUHC and some of the participating councils to discuss how the Sourcing Playbook can best be used by local government and reflect on key lessons learned from the experience. There was plenty of opportunities for audience Q&A to ensure that practical advice could be taken away in the areas that matter to you.

In the years since its initial launch as the “Outsourcing Playbook”, the Sourcing Playbook has been iterated to ensure it reflects best practice and is as useful a guide as possible. While written primarily for a central government audience, the core best practice is relevant across the public sector. This webinar will help to bring to life the benefits of the Sourcing Playbook, and how best it can be relied on through hearing from peers about their experiences putting the playbook in to practice.

Accelerating cost effective net zero delivery across the NHS

On Tuesday 13 June, Local Partnerships and the Greater London Authority hosted an online event focused on decarbonising the UK’s healthcare sector with increased pace and scale by using the public sector’s Re:fit framework.

The free webinar was an opportunity to hear peer success stories and future ambitions, as well as to learn what worked well and the challenges they faced.

Members of the team were also on hand to explain the benefits of using the Re:fit framework and how to access fully managed support.

WEBINAR: Effective bidding for funding

The MJ and Local Partnerships jointly hosted a webinar series ‘Action on climate crisis webinar series: The MJ and Local Partnerships.’ in the run up to COP26, designed for local authorities seeking to accelerate their action on the climate crisis through practical solutions.

It utilises the experience of Local Partnerships and The MJ, and features insights and delivery advice from the local authorities who submitted outstanding applications to the 2021 MJ Award: “leadership in responding to the climate emergency”.

WEBINAR: Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund with Turner & Townsend