Local government is the most efficient part of the public sector and is performing well, but the sector faces huge challenges. Councils have been working hard to find innovative ways of delivering improved local services to residents while also making cost savings year on year. Finding new ways of working is particularly important at a time of economic downturn and councils are under increasing pressure to deliver high quality services – and more of them – with restricted budgets.

Taking a “Total Place” approach to the provision of public services in an area is a new initiative that seeks to develop some of these innovative solutions to local issues. Total Place looks at how a ‘whole area’ approach to public services can lead to better services at less cost. It seeks to identify and avoid overlap and duplication between organisations – delivering a step change in both service improvement and efficiency at the local level and working directly with the local community in order to create services that are more tailored to local needs.

These tailored services are essential to enable a local area to function and demand is increasing. Councils are taking responsibility for a wide variety of issues and are working with partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors, and members of the local community to lead service improvement. Key issues include:

• caring for vulnerable adults;
• safeguarding children;
• minimising flood risks;
• dealing with climate change;
• tackling unemployment;
• dealing with crime and anti-social behaviour.

Keep up to date with news and debate about current local government hot topics on the following websites:

• Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA)
• IDeA Communities of Practice
• Local Government Association
• Local Government Employers
• Directgov
• Communities and Local Government
• Total Place
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