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  • Lead Member Stevenage Borough Council
  • Participating Members Brent Council, Burntwood Town Council, Manchester City Council, South Swindon Parish Council, Stevenage Borough Council, Swindon Borough Council, Tamworth Borough Council
  • Year 2025
  • Type Policy Labs

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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

About the project

This two-year, £13,000 project brings together Brent, Stevenage, and five partner councils to strengthen local leadership and tackle complex community challenges. Guided by Co-operative Councils’ Innovation Network (CCIN) principles, it focuses on succession planning, person-centred service reform, and radical place-based leadership. Each council contributes to locally tailored initiatives—from anti-social behaviour solutions in Swindon to early intervention hubs in Manchester.
Key deliverables include three cross-council workshops, a virtual mentorship programme, and a sustained Community of Practice supporting ongoing peer learning. Community organisations will co-develop succession strategies and leadership tools while piloting new models of service delivery.
The project expects to engage at least 25 organisations, complete 10+ mentorship pairings, and produce seven case studies showcasing practical outcomes. With a focus on collaboration, innovation, and shared resources, this initiative aims to influence wider public sector practice and leave behind scalable, community-driven leadership models that reflect the strengths of local people and places.

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