Innovation and value for money

To meet large scale funding reductions we’ll need both joined-up local working and innovation which puts users at the heart of service design and delivery.

• How LG Improvement and Development is supporting councils
• How the rest of the LG Group is supporting councils
• Key contacts
• Additional information

How LG Improvement and Development is supporting councils

Guidance and good practice

The latest guidance, case studies and other good practice information are published in our online 'Knowledge' resources:

Electronic service delivery – on the esd-toolkit website

Government Connect benefits realisation fund

Local Government Information House (LGIH)

Procurement

Productivity: getting the best out of your people

Service transformation

Strategic commissioning in culture and sport

Third sector commissioning

Total Place – on the Leadership Centre website

We have also produced a number of publications, all available for download:

• Shared chief executives and joint management: a model for the future?
• More than good ideas: the power of innovation in local government
• 'Front Office Shared Services 2009: Delivering public service transformation'
• 'A Better Return: How spending on public services can be directed to achieve the best return for communities'
• 'Insight: Understanding your citizens, customers and communities'
• 'Local Government Data Handling Guidelines'
• 'Reducing Avoidable Contact: A guide to NI14'
• 'Improving the Strategic Commissioning of Public Services: A joint LGA/CBI vision'.

National good practice networks

We facilitate the following national communities of practice (CoPs):

• Total place
• Customer insight
• Customer service
• Information assurance
• NI14 – avoidable contact
• Strategic commissioning.

Join our communities of practice – to join a community, first register on the website, then search for the community you wish to join.

At the core of our support to improving efficiency is a new 'Efficiency Exchange'. This is a collaborative knowledge-sharing and problem-solving community currently being developed with Capital Ambition, the improvement and efficiency partnership for London.

Find out more about the Efficiency Exchange

View the Efficiency Exchange video  – and hear local government practitioners explain how the Exchange can help you save money

Join the Efficiency Exchange 

Improvement support

We offer a range of efficiency-related peer reviews and challenges for you to choose from, including:

• Customer services
• Efficiency
• Organisational assessment
• Procurement
• Productivity
• Workforce improvement

More about IDeA peer reviews

You may, of course, have particular issues at local or regional level where you need support tailored to your specific needs. Contact services@idea.gov.uk and we will be pleased to discuss how we can help.

For councillors

• Members’ guides to procurement – how your council can save by buying better.
• Managing resources and the efficiency agenda – a Local Leadership Academy module.

How the rest of the LG Group is supporting councils

The rest of the LG Group is supporting councils through:

• lobbying and campaigns
• policy and research
• regular policy and research updates on the LG Association website
• a number of publications, all available for download
• conferences, courses, development and training.

Read the latest policy and research – on the LG Association website

Download LG Association publications – on the LG Association website.

Find out more about LG Association events and book your place – on the LG Association website.

Direct support

Local Partnerships delivers expert peer-based gateway reviews to provide independent assurance on the operational delivery of major infrastructure and transformational projects and programmes.

Local Partnerships also provides direct support for projects, programmes and partnerships including:

• the national Building Schools for the Future programme
• Defra’s Waste Improvement Programme
• the third wave of housing private finance initiative (PFI) projects
• transport infrastructure
• corporate and transactional shared services efficiencies.

Key contacts

LG Improvement and Development – Gordon Murray

Additional information

Innovation and value for money – on the LG Group website

Page updated July 2010.