Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has approved a £2 million investment to expand the next phase of its pioneering Office for Public Service Innovation, accelerating efforts to redesign public services and improve outcomes for residents across the region.
The funding, drawn from the Combined Authority's reserves, will support the next stage of OPSI's work, enabling councils and partner organisations to develop, test and scale innovative approaches to some of the area's most complex social challenges.
Bringing together the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, local authorities, public service providers, community organisations and the voluntary sector, OPSI is focused on reshaping services around prevention, early intervention and more effective use of data. The programme aims to improve lives while easing pressure on overstretched public services.
A significant element of the new investment will support the continued development of OPSI Lab, the region's innovation delivery programme, which is helping local authorities turn new ideas into practical solutions.
The next phase of OPSI Lab will continue to support four key projects:
- Knowsley: Improving support for children and families within foster care settings.
- St Helens: Exploring how artificial intelligence can help social workers support children with disabilities.
- Halton: Developing new approaches to support children with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
- City Region-wide Young People Project: Helping young people at risk of becoming disengaged from education, employment or training (NEET).
Since its launch earlier this year, OPSI Lab has worked closely with local authorities and public service partners to address challenges facing children's services, foster care provision, support for vulnerable young people and the use of technology to enhance frontline delivery.
Early results suggest that increased collaboration, improved data sharing and stronger community insight can help public services identify issues sooner, target interventions more effectively and develop evidence-based solutions that deliver better outcomes.
The £2 million funding package, approved by the Combined Authority's Cabinet, will provide specialist innovation support through to March 2027. This will allow successful projects to move from development into testing, implementation and potentially wider adoption across the Liverpool City Region.
The investment will also strengthen OPSI's broader learning network, enabling organisations to share best practice, build innovation skills and embed new ways of working across public services.
Cllr Liam Robinson, Cabinet Member for Public Innovation at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Leader of Liverpool City Council, said:
"The Liverpool City Region has always been at its best when it works together to find new ways of tackling challenges.
"This investment will help us build on the success of OPSI and turn innovative ideas into practical solutions that improve lives.
"By bringing together public services, communities and partners, we're creating a model of collaboration that not only delivers better outcomes for residents but helps make every pound of public money work harder too."
The latest funding commitment reinforces Liverpool City Region's ambition to become a national leader in public service innovation.
By investing in preventative approaches, harnessing technology and encouraging cross-sector collaboration, regional leaders hope to deliver better outcomes for residents while ensuring greater value for taxpayers.
As pressures on public services continue to grow, OPSI is positioning the Liverpool City Region at the forefront of innovation-led public sector reform, creating a model that could be replicated across the UK.
Image credit: iStock
