Bromford Lab, part of housing provider Bromford Flagship which focuses on developing innovative approaches to service delivery, is hosting an exclusive free ‘Place in Practice 3.0’ webinar on Friday 13 June. 

Focused on the progress of a rural place-based working pilot in the Gloucestershire village of Moreton-in-Marsh (as well as 12 surrounding villages), the webinar will include insight from the teams involved on the project’s challenges, opportunities, and how it’s driving the improvement of local services.

Rachel Coley, a Place Team Leader for Bromford who is leading the pilot in Moreton-in-Marsh, says that the project shows how a ‘one-size fits all’ approach isn’t right, and that it’s vital to understand the different and distinct needs of rural communities compared to urban areas.

She said: “This is massively different to our other pilots. Moreton and the surrounding villages are more isolated, with smaller pockets of homes across a much larger rural patch. 

“Some villages have only a handful of homes - several don’t have shops, amenities or any public transport. That creates very different needs and questions for us to explore.” 

There is strong evidence to suggest the effectiveness of place-based working. One year into Bromford’s place-based project for the Staple Hill site, on-time repair rates have more than doubled, and first-time fix rates are at 80%; 16% higher than the average for the west of England. Those improvements are the result of more joined-up working, stronger relationships, and teams who understand their patch inside out.

John Wade, Bromford’s director of strategy, said: “We chose Moreton because it represents a very different part of our geography, and much of where we work is rural. 

“It’s the perfect opportunity to test how this way of working can flex to meet different needs, and we’re curious about what we’ll learn as the pilot develops.” 

The webinar, which is free and open to the public, is taking place on Friday 13 June, 12:00-12:45. In it, the project teams in Moreton and Stowe will share their findings and experiences on how place-based working drives service improvement, gives colleagues new ways of working, and how the approach builds on the existing strengths and assets of the local community.

Sign up for free here.