Council welcomes selection for new Government programme
18 Jul 2025
The County Council is to share its expertise after being chosen as one of the areas to benefit from the Government’s “innovation squads” as part of a £100 million ‘Test, Learn and Grow’ reform programme.
It’s hoped the initiative will build on the huge range of work already taking place through the county to tackle issues facing those most in need of support and deliver real results through collaboration.
The teams will work alongside the County Council, partners and service users to tackle the biggest challenges directly affecting local communities and people.
Challenges the teams will look at will include increasing the uptake of Best Start Family Hubs to support parents and young children, establishing neighbourhood health services, better supporting children with special needs, getting more people into work, rolling out breakfast clubs, and tackling violence against women and girls.
The teams will work directly with communities and frontline workers to test out what works.
And for Northumberland, the Council hopes to accelerate the work in this area it’s already been doing over the past few years.
Councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, explained: “While we await the detail, this should allow us to accelerate even further our trailblazing work supporting those in need.
”We are committed to helping everyone live fulfilling lives in Northumberland and through our. Stronger Communities programme we already work with partners to enhance community well-being, tackle inequalities, and foster local engagement and development.”
Specific examples include:
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Our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme sees us work with scores of partners, offering thousands of children and young people the chance to enjoy enriching activities, healthy food, and meaningful connections during the school holidays. Last year over 11,000 children benefited.
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A targeted campaign to ensure the 1,100 children entitled to free school meals but not claiming it could be enrolled into the system, providing them with the benefits of nutritional support, financial benefits, and access additional programs like the HAF.
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An innovative welfare rights at the school gate programme, ensuring access to good financial wellbeing information, especially around entitlements, available at our near schools.
The government’s ‘test, learn and grow’ approach is aimed at tackling the biggest national challenges and bringing policy closer to delivery across the board. It has already been trialled successfully in four areas across England.
Cllr Renner-Thompson added: “A major part of what we are doing is to make services, information and activities as accessible as possible.
“We’re doing a massive amount of work to support people, including through our Family Hubs. As well as our main hubs we have outreach hubs in communities, such as in local fire stations and schools, along with a new digital offer and website too for those who prefer to access support online.
"This will very much be a collaborative approach, us working with the Government, sharing our learning and designing future partnership work together to really make a difference for our residents.
Northumberland’s network of Children’s Centres relaunched as Family Hubs in September 2022 after the council was selected as an eligible authority to join the Government-backed programme.
The programme has seen 75 areas benefiting from the £300 million investment up to 2025. Northumberland was then selected as one of 14 “trailblazer” local authorities awarded additional funding to fast-track delivery of these services, leading the way and supporting other local authorities.