Adur and Worthing Councils have shared services and a joint vision for improving residents’ lives, while continuing to operate as two distinct local authorities within West Sussex. Like many councils preparing for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), they face the challenge of managing separate data and benefit systems, which can make it harder to see the full picture of need across their combined area.
At the same time, around one in ten residents live in poverty, rising to one in eight children. The councils work closely with a thriving voluntary and community sector, including organisations such as South Downs Leisure, Southern Water, Telljo and the Between the Blue and Green Festival, all dedicated to improving wellbeing and inclusion.
However, many partners struggled to identify and reach those most in need. Support often relied on self referrals or word of mouth, leaving residents unaware of what was available.
At the same time, Adur and Worthing Council had great success in identifying vulnerable residents through Policy in Practice’s LIFT (Low Income Family Tracker) platform. LIFT is a data analytics tool that makes poverty trends and benefits eligibility visible, allowing the councils to combine data from two separate systems into one shared dashboard, providing a single, clear view of low income households across both districts.
LIFT helped the council deliver campaigns such as a high profile Pension Credit and Winter Fuel Allowance campaign that put over £514,800 in Pension Credit into the pockets of 132 pensioners, and £59,400 in vouchers to those just above the Winter Fuel Payment threshold.
Recognising these results, the community partners approached the councils to understand how data driven insights could also help them target and support residents more effectively.
