Creating better places
Practical resources for local innovation projects
Creating Better Places is a series of ten resource packs grounded in insights from the 52 local authorities that took part in the Net Zero Living Programme. It is a resource for council officers who are driving local outcomes through clean energy and decarbonisation projects, as well as those working with them to support local growth.
The series is rooted in real-world evidence. It reveals the unique role local authorities play in building a local mandate, convening partners, enabling delivery, and shaping market conditions for change. And it shares how the Programme has provided specialist support along the way to reach these outcomes faster, and at scale.
Discover tools, insights and learnings from other councils
The introductory handbook opens the series by setting out where places have done things differently in familiar parts of local delivery. It shows that, when climate action is embedded well, it is a powerful lever to improve everyday outcomes for residents and support place-based renewal and resilient economic growth.
Each individual resource pack goes deeper into one of the ten areas where local innovation can make delivery smoother and more investable. They cover topics such as: putting people at the centre, building capacity, making governance work through change, enabling partnerships, collaborating regionally, using digital platforms, building investable pipelines, and supporting the supply chain and workforce.
The series brings together key concepts, learnings from other councils, tried-and-tested steps, practical tools, and further resources. Together, the series helps places avoid starting from scratch, speed up delivery, and achieve better outcomes more efficiently and effectively.
Key takeaways
- The Net Zero Living Programme offers real world evidence of how climate action can strengthen core local services when they are framed around outcomes that people value.
- By bringing together ten familiar areas of local delivery into bite-sized resource packs, this series gives local authorities the guidance and best practice they need to innovate, improve services, and open markets for growth.
- The handbook and resource packs bring together tested concepts, practical steps, and easy-to-use tools from the Programme so other places can avoid duplication and move faster.
Resource packs
The resource packs are designed to be used alongside the Creating Better Places handbook. The handbook provides an overview of where local authorities participating in the Net Zero Living Programme have done things differently in the ten areas of local delivery.
Each resource pack explores one of the ten areas where local innovation can improve lives and unlock growth. You don’t need to read them from start to finish. Instead, move between the resource packs that are most relevant to your work as it evolves.
Explore the packs below and use them to:
- Learn what’s possible through real examples from other local authorities.
- Build confidence by learning how they navigated familiar challenges.
- Act and make progress using practical steps, tools and prompts you can adapt to your local context.
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Community engagement done well builds legitimacy, unlocks new ideas, and strengthens delivery. It helps local authorities move beyond one-off consultations to lasting relationships that reflect real life and real concerns.
This resource pack shares examples and key concepts to help UK local authorities understand about effective community engagement and just transition. Read the pack to explore practical steps, tools and resources that help local authorities shift from simply informing to actively empowering people.
Read resource pack 01
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When net zero is embedded in everyday planning and delivery, it strengthens
core local services instead of being seen as a competing priority. It helps local authorities address familiar pressures, from rising costs and fuel poverty to economic resilience and public health, while creating long-term value for communities.This resource pack shares key concepts to help people working in local authorities to position net zero as an enabler of better outcomes. Read the pack to explore practical steps, tools and resources that can help local authorities transition from treating climate as an add-on, to identifying opportunities where net zero enables delivery against existing strategic priorities.
Read resource pack 02
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Strong capacity is a powerful accelerator of delivery. When local authorities and other organisations have the right mix of skills, systems and confidence, they can move faster, work across silos and turn plans into action.
This resource pack shares key concepts to help organisations understand about building local authority capacity and reframing climate action as part of core service delivery. Read the pack to explore practical steps, tools and resources that can help local authorities move from treating capacity as individual skills gaps to building delivery capability across the organisation.
Read resource pack 03
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Political and institutional change is a normal part of how local government works. These shifts can disrupt delivery, dilute focus or stall progress. However, when handled well they also create chances to reset priorities, strengthen governance and build on what works.
This resource pack shares examples and key concepts for local authorities navigating political and institutional change. Read the pack to explore practical steps, tools and resources that can help local authorities shift from reacting to change to designing for continuity.
Read resource pack 04
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Strong collaborations are essential for delivering change at pace and scale. When local authorities use their convening power well, partnerships unlock skills, capacity and investment that no single organisation can deliver alone.
This resource pack shares examples and key concepts to help local authorities gain a clearer understating about enabling partnerships in local net zero ecosystems. Read the pack to explore practical steps, tools and resources that can be used to build an effective ecosystem of collaboration.
Read resource pack 05
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Regional collaboration helps local authorities do things together that they can’t achieve on their own. By working across boundaries, they can pool expertise, align priorities and build the critical mass needed for major infrastructure, skills and investment programmes.
This resource pack shares examples and key concepts to help local authorities understand how to scale impact. Read the pack to explore practical steps, tools and resources that can help local authorities implement purposeful regional collaboration and turn regional ambition into investable, deliverable action.
Read resource pack 06
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Used well, data and digital platforms can help local authorities do more than monitor progress. They can support clearer priorities, stronger coordination with partners, and better decisions across complex place-based systems.
This resource pack shares examples and key concepts to help local authorities build confidence and skills in using digital platforms effectively. Read the pack to explore practical steps, tools and resources that can help organisations transition from being data-led to being data-informed, using digital tools to enable collaboration, decision-making and delivery.
Read resource pack 07
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Investable pipelines turn ambition into delivery. When local authorities develop clear, prioritised pipelines of projects, they build confidence among funders, partners and communities.
This resource pack shares examples and key concepts to help local authorities understand what makes a project investable. Read the pack to explore practical steps, tools and resources that can help organisations move from long lists of aspirations towards structured, investable pipelines.
Read resource pack 08
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A capable supply chain and skilled workforce are essential to turning plans into reality. When skills, training and business capacity are aligned with real delivery demand, local authorities can accelerate progress, support local jobs and strengthen economic resilience.
This resource pack shares examples and key concepts to help local authorities understand about workforce planning for decarbonisation. Read the pack to explore practical steps, tools and resources that can help organisations adopt demand-led workforce and supply chain planning.
Read resource pack 09
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Resource pack coming soon.
Related programme
Net Zero Living
A new wave of place-based innovation is transforming UK towns, cities and communities, today. Innovate UK’s £60 million programme is helping local authorities and businesses work together to deliver new solutions that improve local services and open markets for economic growth.