From Conversation to Action: A Case Study on Braintree’s Community Collaboration

The Challenge

Essex County Council embarked on an ambitious strategy to enhance opportunities for communities and cohorts across the county, aligning with the central government’s ‘levelling up’ policy and funding. Rural Braintree, in partnership with the local Braintree District Council, was identified as a focal point for addressing challenges specific to rural communities. The objectives of the work included understanding lived experiences of local people, identifying root causes, determining short term and long term solutions, fostering relationships, and sharing learnings with other regions.

A design team, comprising of stakeholders from various backgrounds, was formed to define a guiding question for exploring community needs. The initial question, developed collaboratively, aimed to address pressing issues identified in previous consultations: “We know from previous consultation results that better access to health and community facilities, education, and infrastructure are important to you. What helps improve/hinders your ability to access education, work, or community facilities?”

This question served as the foundation for the subsequent phases of the WholeScale™ Change journey, wherein it would be further tested, scoped, and developed to drive meaningful insights and solutions.

Our Approach

To tackle the complex, interdependent challenges, Tricordant facilitated a WholeScale™ Change journey involving a diverse range of stakeholders, including the County Council, District Council, Parish Councils, NHS, local schools, businesses, and voluntary and community organisations.

The WholeScale™ Change approach involved facilitating both large and small group interactions to encourage collaboration and cultivate a culture of action learning. Within these interactions, microcosms were formed within larger events, and Community Reference Groups were established. These platforms served as arenas for inclusive decision-making and facilitated sustained change efforts. The diagram below shows the overall pattern of events.

The Results

The WholeScale™ Change journey proved highly successful in building collaboration and rallying internal and external stakeholders behind the ‘levelling up’ agenda. The events facilitated meaningful connections between local community leaders and statutory partners, creating a genuine partnership approach. The process catalysed a mindset shift towards true partnership, with partners committed to embedding this ethos in ongoing engagement mechanisms. Four solutions co-created by the rural Braintree community emerged from the journey, addressing identified challenges and laying the foundation for sustainable community development.

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