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Application Information

Please note: applications closed as of October 27 2009. This page explains how the application process worked and is for reference only.

What were the categories for entry and how did authorities apply?

If you had some excellent and innovative approaches to share with the sector, we wanted to hear from you. In their application, authorities would need to address the core criteria and competencies outlined under the theme they wished to apply for.

Awards for the first year of the new Local Innovation Awards Scheme were based on the following six key topics or ‘themes’:

Delivery themes

1. Building economic resilience

2. Keeping children and young people safe in the community

3. Community safety: policing our communities together

4. Taking control of care – empowering adults to control their own care

Challenge themes

5. Achieving more through partnerships

6. Tackling challenging community issues using talents across the generations

Bright Ideas - Encouraging Innovation from the front line

7. In addition, there was a separate category for new awards to support emerging thinking or new untested ideas by front line teams working with partners and local people under the six thematic areas named above. These ideas may well have been completely untested so the award will secure support to develop, refine and implement the bright ideas. This category is specifically for front line teams to nominate their ideas and practice.

For more detailed theme descriptions, the core criteria and competencies visit the theme pages:

Delivery themes

Challenge themes

Bright Ideas category

If an authority got shortlisted, the application would be evaluated either by an on-site peer review day (delivery themes only), a peer challenge panel event (challenge themes only) or a mini-dragon’s den style judging panel for the Bright Ideas category.

By completing an application and providing a case study, authorities were agreeing to share their innovation and learning with the sector.

What was the timeline?

Applications are now closed. The evaluation process (undertaken by Government Champions and local government sector leads or a credible peer) started immediately after applications closed. Applications for year one of the Scheme closed at 5.00 pm on Tuesday 27 October 2009.

Why did authorities apply?

If authorities were doing something really well or in a different and fresh way to push their own learning boundaries, then others wanted to learn from them. Authorities that entered benefited from:

  • increased profile of their council or partnership
  • benchmarking their achievements against others doing similar work
  • celebrating and motivating their staff for their achievements
  • helping others improve and raise standards that delivered real benefits to people
  • being an active part of the improvement agenda working closely with government departments on emerging policy
  • enjoying the support of joint central and local government policy champions
  • securing rewards and resource support for emerging thinking or untested ideas from their front line teams
  • creating leading edge solutions to tomorrow’s problems.

Who could apply?

  • local authorities, especially District Councils
  • other public authorities
  • local strategic partnerships

What did authorities got out of applying?

Whether authorities secured the award or not, the value of applying gave them:

  • access to support throughout the process
  • tailored feedback by sector experts and judges
  • national profile and recognition for their achievements
  • a role in knowledge transfer – ‘ready to share’ new ideas across the sector.

Peer challenge panel Event

This was a public presentation to a panel of peers and sector leaders that included Dame Denise, the previous Chair of the LIA Advisory Panel, an LGA Improvement Board lead member, a RIEP representative and some of the Expert Reference Group members. It took place in Birmingham and thereafter in another regional location. The shortlisted applicants in the challenge themes presented and took challenging questions from the peer panel. The peer challenges were filmed.

Dragon’s Den style judging panel

This was for the bright ideas category. As they may have just been ideas that were untested, they would have needed resource support. Once shortlisted, the frontline applicant teams did a short pitch to persuade the judges that their idea was worth investing in. The investment came in the form of a small monetary reward and a number of expert days with innovation houses, who worked with winners to make their ideas real. There was a key learning and sharing requirement for winners to satisfy throughout the process.

Who was involved

  • the applicants
  • the Local Innovation Awards Team led the delivery of the process
  • Dame Denise as Chair and her panel
  • CLG – as sponsors of the scheme
  • Expert Reference Group – a group of reputable high level strategic experts
  • joint theme leads - Government and Local Government Group (LG Group) representatives for each theme or category
  • credible peers replaced the specialist advisor role from the beacon scheme, where sector leads nominates these peers as deputies
  • Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs)

Joint theme leads

These were a government champion and a LG Group lead for the overarching LG Group business plan theme that our Local Innovation Awards theme or category related to. For example, appropriate central government senior civil servant and additionally the National or Strategic Advisor on behalf of the LG Group.

Credible peers

These replaced the specialist advisor role that was used in the beacon scheme. The 'Credible Peers' are identified and agreed by the joint sector leads. They were delegates for the LG Group sector leads who may not have the capacity to undertake detailed aspects of the assessment so will offer up deputies.

Evaluation teams for the delivery themes:

Building economic resilience:
Andrew Field, Government Champion
Alex Murray, Sector Lead

Keeping children and young people safe in the community:
Rob Simpson, Government Champion
Paul Curran, Sector Lead

Community safety: policing our communities together:
Rebecca Bradfield, Government Champion
Chris Williams, Sector Lead
Ian Pearce, Peer

Taking control of care – empowering adults to control their own care:
Rebecca Spavin, Government Champion
Mona Sehgal, Sector Lead
Mary Robertson, Peer

Evaluation teams for the challenge themes:

Achieving more through partnerships:
Rob Simpson, Government Champion
Katy Baldwin, Government Champion
Rachel Litherland, Sector Lead
Jan Stafford, Peer

Tackling challenging community issues using talents across the generations:
Brian Keating, Government Champion
Melissa Grant, Government Champion
Jen Wingate, Sector Lead
Janet Crampton, Peer

Glossary

Bright Ideas

An untested initiative that front-line staff proposed that linked to one of the six themes.

Challenge themes

The themes were:

  • Achieving more through partnerships
  • Tackling challenging community issues: using talents across the generations.

Credible Peer (CP)

Nominated as a deputy by the 'sector lead' to participate in on-site evaluation reviews when the 'sector lead' could not go on-site.

Delivery themes

The themes were:

  • Building economic resilience
  • Keeping children and young people safe in the community
  • Community safety: policing our communities together
  • Taking control of care – empowering adults to control their own care.

Dragon’s Den style judging panel

Bright Ideas short-listed applicants were invited to present in front of the panel to bid for expertise/grant funding to trial their initiatives. Modelled on the popular BBC programme.

Expert Reference Group (ERG)

Recruited by Local Government Improvement and Development in association with Peer Clearing House (PCH) to give advice and act as sounding board for the Panel. This is a non paid role, working up to 10 days per annum with only expenses paid in line with the Scheme’s expenses policy. Members of this group may be asked to participate in the PCH event. Membership will include: recent or current authority Chief Executives, experienced councillor, a respected academic, senior voluntary sector person, well regarded innovators.

Government Champion (GC)

Senior person from appropriate central government department who works jointly with sector lead to assess applications; jointly provides the short feedback reports and decides the short-list and recommends the final application outcome. Attended the on-site evaluation review or the peer challenge panel dependant on theme type.

On-site evaluation review

Delivery theme short-listed applicants hosted a one day interrogative evaluation from the assessors. Team comprised of: Government Champion, Sector Lead and the Local Government Improvement and Development theme manager. NB The Credible Peer deputised for those instances when the Sector Lead is unable to attend. In addition for the Safeguarding and Care themes there will also be service users who have been identified by the panel Chair, and are trained to carry out an assessment role.

Peer challenge panel event

Challenge theme short-listed applicants were invited to present their initiatives in front of an audience and the panel. The presentations were filmed and added to the LIA website.

Sector Lead (SL)

A member of staff from the LG Group at Strategic or National Adviser level.  Worked jointly with the Government Champion to assess applications and jointly complete the short feedback reports; attended the on-site evaluation reviews or the peer challenge panel event dependant on theme type.

The Panel

A Panel of independent advisors for the Scheme. The Panel was Chaired by Dame Denise Platt.

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