Since 2017, Local Area Coordinators in York have been supporting attempts to redefine how public services interact with communities, not by stepping in and taking over, but by amplifying the natural authority of grassroots organisations and charities. Known as the ‘community operating model’, Local Area Coordinators are working with, not above, existing community efforts – connecting people, enabling collaboration, and helping people to avoid falling through the gaps in service and community infrastructure.
This year, I captured the fascinating testimonies of four people representing different York organisations: Kit and Beth, Adam, and Holly. I really wanted to hear their reflections on the difference Local Area Coordination is making from their perspective as local community and charity leaders. If you’re interested in community power, I really encourage you to take a listen to these. They’re short and insightful testimonies from real ‘doers’ who are evidently making a big difference in different ways.
Part of a Local Area Coordinator’s job is to act as the glue that helps public services, charities, and community initiatives to coordinate around people who may need support, ensuring that the person and family remain at the centre and in control of their own care and support (whatever that might look and feel like to them). Unlike more traditional service dynamics, Local Area Coordination starts with relationships first – building trust, listening deeply, and helping people to take the lead in their own journeys. They create connections where barriers might otherwise exist, embodying what Adam, the York Foodbank manager, describes in his recording as “the human face of the council”.
This relational approach allows Local Area Coordinators to strengthen the work of organisations like York Cares, York Foodbank, and NELLI (New Earswick Less Loneliness Initiative). Holly, from York Cares, points out that Local Area Coordinators don’t just signpost people to and promote initiatives, but actively participate too, identifying people who would benefit and ensuring that they feel welcomed. Holly talks about the success of intergenerational projects like ‘Strictly Fun Dancing’ as a good example of the impact of this. She reflects on Phil, who led the group with the support of his Local Area Coordinator, stepping into a leadership role that he hadn’t previously imagined possible.
At York Foodbank sites, the successful collaboration with Local Area Coordinators is very evident from what Adam says. While food banks provide critical emergency support, Local Area Coordinators are present to help people address the underlying challenges of financial deprivation and social isolation. Adam highlights that they reduce reliance on crisis services by connecting people to tailored solutions within their communities. He notes that without their presence, the food bank would be “fighting with one arm behind [their] back”.
Groups like NELLI, represented in the recording by Kit and Beth, describe the Local Area Coordination approach as “symbiotic”. Their Local Area Coordinator supports the group’s mission by bringing people in, helping with practical matters, and offering invaluable knowledge. For community leaders like Kit and Beth, Local Area Coordinators give them the confidence to “reach a bit further” and take on ambitious projects, knowing support is there when needed.
What seems to make the Local Area Coordination approach unique for these leaders is the refusal to impose top-down solutions. Instead, the testimonies suggest that Local Area Coordinators collaborate deeply with existing community assets, augmenting their strengths and enriching their reach. As Kit puts it, “they don’t reinvent the wheel; they feed into and strengthen what’s already there.”
Local Area Coordination in York, as in every area where the approach has been rolled out, represents a genuine effort to do public services differently. By prioritising relationships, understanding local dynamics, and bridging the gap between sectors, Local Area Coordinators bring people together, build on individual and community strengths, and help create opportunities where they are most needed.
York’s Local Area Coordinators are proof that when public services get alongside communities to enhance and support the role that our natural support networks play, extraordinary things can happen. Local Area Coordinators are, as Adam suggests, the glue that binds individuals, organisations, and services together, quietly helping local people and local places to flourish.
by Nick Sinclair