Global reach combined with BusinessLab innovation

Global consultancy Capgemini have a wealth of experience in supporting local authorities throughout the UK to improve public service delivery, efficiency and performance.  They have also been a long-standing partner of BusinessLab. When they embarked upon an innovative new 'participative budgeting' project with Wokingham Borough Council and residents in the Norreys area, Capgemini saw the Community Signature as an ideal tool.

Wokingham Borough Council have been increasing the neighbourhood focus of their service delivery, aiming to develop a greater understanding of, and increase the quality of life in their communities. The Community Signature supported this vision, allowing the Council the perspectives of different groups in the community to be compared and contrasted to identify common themes and also areas of variation.

Application of the Community Signature in Wokingham has demonstrated that it assists the community, its residents and their partner agencies in identifying key strengths and opportunities, and providing a focus for identifying community generated solutions.

As well as effective engagement with community groups, the Community Signature project in Wokingham is supporting enhanced partnership working by bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, all looking at the same ‘picture’ of the community.   Ultimately this will deliver improvements in joined-up service delivery.

Signatures have now been collected from a wide range of groups in the Norreys community in Wokingham. Capgemini, BusinessLab and Wokingham Borough Council are collectively analysing the data generated and working with the community to develop focussed action plans.  Together the partners are identifying areas where an agency is best placed to take the lead in capacity building or regeneration initiatives and where it can best play a facilitating role to support the efforts of others.

The Wokingham project has given BusinessLab the opportunity to collaborate with a highly respected global partner in the deployment of the Community Signature, to deliver real improvements at a local level.

For more information on this project please contact hmilne@businesslab.co.uk