• Text Size
  • Contrast

Principles met

  • 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.

  • Innovation

    We will embrace innovation in how we work with local communities to drive positive change.

  • Learning

    We will capture and ‘expand’ the experience and learning from individual projects and approaches in order to encourage broader application of co-operative principles within individual member Councils and across the Network.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Food Demo – Brahma Kumaris

Brent is the second most ethnically diverse borough in the country and the highest-ranked one when it comes to non-UK born residents (56%). The Covid-19 pandemic shone a spotlight on health inequalities there, with Black and Asian communities disproportionately affected. The borough suffered the highest age-adjusted cumulative death rate in the whole of the UK, with two neighbourhoods in particular hardest hit, resulting in a single street seeing forty-two of its residents die from Covid. People who live in Stonebridge die, on average, 11 years earlier than people living in Kenton. In Harlesden, the number of preventable deaths between 2016 and 2020 was 37.7% higher than expected. Location, income, housing quality, education level, ethnic background, and cultural differences all contribute to the disparity.

In September 2020 Brent Council took radical action to systematically tackle the differences in health between diverse groups of people. Working closely with health partners and the community, the council started to offer more tailored services to groups who are – for whatever reason – less likely to engage with traditional health services. The Brent Health Matters (BHM) approach was initially piloted in Church End and Alperton, two wards especially affected by health inequalities, before being expanded borough-wide with extra funding and partnerships. 

Brent’s model is a multi-organisational partnership, led by a dedicated council team, local NHS trusts, health educators, voluntary and community sector organisations, and community leaders. They have recruited over 40 volunteer Community Champions who are committed to help co-produce and shape the services BHM provides. Champions keep BHM accountable to local people and their needs, and frontline health teams draw on their grassroots knowledge to make sure that they understand issues affecting Brent’s diverse communities. 

For further information contact:

Back to Case Studies