- Lead Member Cheshire West and Chester Council
- Participating Members Cardiff Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Kirklees Council, Plymouth City Council, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Sunderland City Council
- Year 2022
- Status Policy Labs
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Report
Bid
Principles met
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Co-production
We will develop systems that enable citizens to be equal partners in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.
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Community leadership and a new role for councillors
We will explore ways for councils to act as a platform for helping the community to contribute to local outcomes, and to re-think the role of councillors as community connectors, brokers and leaders.
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Democratic engagement
We will support the active engagement of the full range of residents in decision making and priority setting.
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Enterprise and social economy
We will promote community-based approaches to economic development that focus on supporting the creation of jobs, social enterprises and other businesses and providing an environment for co-operative and mutual enterprises to thrive.
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Innovation
We will embrace innovation in how we work with local communities to drive positive change.
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Maximising social value
We will support the development of a framework and criteria for social value, giving substance to the concept and supporting Councils with the tools to ensure better local social and economic outcomes.
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New models of meeting priority needs
In exploring new ways of meeting the priority needs of our communities we will encourage models, such as co-operatives and mutuals, which give greater influence and voice to staff and users. in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.
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Social partnership
We will strengthen the co-operative partnership between citizens, communities, enterprises and Councils, based on a shared sense of responsibility for wellbeing and mutual benefit.
About the project
The ‘Understanding the Digital Divide’ Policy Lab is a practical toolkit to help tackle Digital Poverty and the Digital Divide – The gap between those who can confidently and conveniently go online and those who cannot. It provides and signposts tools to build a more robust data picture of:
- who is experiencing digital exclusion;
- where they are; and
- what their barriers are to accessing services and social contact online;
and with that data picture in place, it describes the interventions trialled and developed across a number of authority areas to promote digital engagement, compiling key documents and information for others to use.