Innovation in local government is about improving the lives of the people in our
communities. Browse through our case studies to see the many innovative programmes councils are involved
in.
Leeds has experienced a significant rise in vaccine-preventable diseases in recent years, including measles and pertussis. Between September 2024 and April 2025, there were over 100 confirmed measles cases across multiple schools and nurseries, resulting in a sustained community outbreak with no single source of transmission. This highlighted both the vulnerability of the local unvaccinated population and the urgent need for a more coordinated, intelligence-led response to improving vaccination uptake through targeted interventions.
Wiltshire has generally high vaccination coverage however, this masks pockets of lower uptake at a community level. As a large, predominantly rural county with diverse communities, there was a need to better understand the drivers influencing vaccination attitudes and uptake across population groups. In response, Wiltshire strengthened system working using a whole systems, insight led approach, commissioning research and using the Wiltshire Immunisation Group to coordinate action. This identified differences in access and attitudes and informed a targeted action plan to support more effective, place based interventions to improve uptake and reduce inequalities.
In Bristol, the uptake of all childhood immunisations is below safe levels and requires urgent attention; increasing coverage is a national and local priority. Over the last few years, there has been a particular focus on measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) nationally through the UK Measles and Rubella Elimination Strategy (2019) and the catch-up campaign (2022) due to a resurgence of measles, and because measles is one of the most contagious of all vaccination preventable diseases.
County Durham launched a three year flu vaccination pilot in 2022 to address declining uptake among two to three-year-olds and widening inequalities across the county. Building on learning from the COVID 19 vaccination programme, the pilot introduced nursery based and community based vaccination clinics to complement traditional GP delivery. The aim was to improve accessibility, reduce barriers and gather insights from parents and carers.
In response to a measles outbreak declared by UKHSA in January 2024, Manchester delivered pop-up university vaccination clinics to rapidly protect its large student population.
Walsall Council, in partnership with Walsall Manor Hospital's antenatal clinic, commissioned creative arts practitioners to engage pregnant women to explore attitudes to and encourage uptake of maternal vaccines.
Like many areas nationally, Hull has faced ongoing challenges with childhood vaccination uptake, particularly with Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination.
The Suffolk Office of Data and Analytics (SODA), a collaboration between Suffolk’s Local Authorities, Suffolk Constabulary and local NHS Organisations, has developed a collaborative, analyst-led community to support the use of coding tools such as R and Python across local government and partner organisations.
By pairing a clear public commitment with practical tools, senior leadership endorsement and sustained workforce engagement, Gloucestershire County Council has begun to embed ethical thinking into everyday data and intelligence practice, supporting better decision making, trust and accountability, particularly in sensitive service areas such as children’s services.