The unprecedented impact of Covid-19 on communities throughout the UK has meant that councils have had to respond in swift and innovative ways. The government’s initial centralised, Whitehall driven response was insufficient in getting support to those people who needed it quickly and effectively. Local government mobilised quickly to fill that gap.
For Co-operative Councils this played to their strengths and brought to the fore the values of community leadership, co-production and social value.
Countless examples are emerging throughout the Network, of councils establishing food distribution hubs, new partnerships with the local VCS and businesses, tackling local shortages of PPE, providing swift hardship support to those that have needed assistance and providing strong local leadership as communities went into lockdown. As recovery efforts get underway Co-operative Councils are looking at opportunities to re-balance local economies, pro-actively tackle climate change and emerge as modern, digital and responsive organisations aligned to the emerging needs of our communities.