This project was funded by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) and supported by SOLACE Enterprises. We conducted a national survey of English local authorities on the use and effectiveness of best practice in two policy areas: community safety and regeneration. The key findings of the research were:

• Best practice is widely used but to different extents by different local authorities
  
• There are differences in levels of innovation and best practice use between different policy sectors
  
• Many local authorities experience considerable difficulties in assessing best practices and in adapting them to their specific contexts
  

Research Outputs

The findings were presented at the Urban Affairs Association Conference in Montreal , Canada in April 2006 (download paper).

We held a seminar in July 2006 which was attended by local government officers and representatives from other organisations interested in best practice. For more information, seminar programme and presentations, please visit the seminar web page.

The project was led by Professor Peter John from IPEG and Professor Hal Wolman from George Washington University , USA . The researchers on the project were Tessa Brannan and Catherine Durose.