Frontline workers and local communities to play crucial role in delivery of Government missions

Local communities and frontline workers, such as teachers and NHS staff, will have a greater impact on shaping national policy, in the next phase of the Government's plan to transform public services and deliver the Plan for Change.

Under the plans, three of the Government's thematic campuses – key locations drawing together staff from different departments with different skills and expertise – will become testbeds of the Government's missions.

Rather than writing policy papers, teams will be asked to get into communities to work with those using local services and workers on the frontline to develop new ideas to deliver on the missions.

The move builds on the Places for Growth commitments unveiled last month to locate thousands of civil servants outside London, bringing central government closer to the people it serves.

Darlington will drive the growth mission, Sheffield will focus on opportunity and Leeds on the health mission. This latest action is part of the Government's Plan for Change, re-wiring the state to be more productive and agile.

The three areas will work hand in hand with local public service providers under a new pilot programme – the community mission challenge.

The programme will see civil servants based in these thematic campuses work with local counterparts and frontline workers at speed to solve some of the key issues facing their local areas. 

These solutions and ways of working can then be scaled up across other parts of the UK to accelerate delivery of the missions nationally - delivering security for working people and renewal for our country.

Cabinet Office Minister Georgia Gould said:

"In every community in the country there are people trying to improve their local area with ideas for how things should change and government often misses the innovation happening on the ground in communities. 

“We want a civil service that is connected to the British people, backing their ideas and working alongside communities to deliver the missions. 

“The new approach we are announcing today will deliver new opportunities that people can feel where they live and start to re-wire the state from the ground up.”

The Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, said: “We are delighted that Leeds civil servants will take a leading role in delivering the Government's health mission. This aligns with our local health and wellbeing strategy, which aims to improve the health of the poorest fastest.  

“Leeds is a growing, diverse and ambitious city with well established neighbourhood networks run by the voluntary and community sector and large anchor organisations working in partnership with the local authority, and a wealth of front line expertise which will really benefit this new initiative.   

“As a city, we have a hard won reputation for innovation, especially within the health and social care sector, so we are perfectly suited to focus on the health mission which has been entrusted to the city. 

“We look forward to playing a significant role in helping to shape national policy and to bringing central government closer to our community.”

The Leader of Sheffield City Council, Councillor Tom Hunt, said: “In Sheffield, we know that tackling our biggest challenges requires new ways of working. From supporting people to get back into work to helping all children to thrive, collaboration is key. Real change happens by combining local expertise with local, regional, and national government. 

“We've developed this approach through our trailblazing Family Hubs and in the Pathways to Work Programme. Through the community mission challenge we will work with frontline providers, the Mayoral Combined Authority and our colleagues in Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster to continue to improve public services.

“We are proud that Sheffield Policy Campus has been chosen to lead on the Opportunity Mission."

The Leader of Darlington Borough Council, Steve Harker, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to pilot closer partnership working between Local Authorities and Government. Closer working with Government will enable Local Authorities, together with our local communities, help shape delivery of the Government missions of growth, opportunity and health - and so ensure even better outcomes for local people.

"It's really significant that the new Government is determined to explore how we can work better and more effectively together. So, I'm really pleased for Darlington to be part of the pilot."

A new secondment scheme between Government and local authorities is also being developed in partnership with the Local Government Association, with people in both central and local government able to participate.

The scheme aims to harness the invaluable skills and experience that frontline workers and those embedded in their local areas can use to inform national policy - and enable central government to share learnings and perspectives with local areas. 

The secondment scheme will be piloted in Place for Growth Thematic Campuses in Darlington, Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester, starting in the Autumn. 

As part of this scheme, youth workers, social workers and other experts from across local government will be able to directly shape national policy as the government works to deliver the Plan for Change and break down barriers to opportunity for young people.

The measures outlined today build on work already underway to pilot new and innovative ways of working with local and central government under the Test, Learn and Grow scheme, announced by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.