Locked Down, Locked Out? Local Partnership Resilience in the Covid-19 Pandemic: Final Report

Abstract

In Scotland and across much of the UK, there is a growing recognition of the value of local partnership in responding to some of the most complex social issues and problems. In Scotland, this is particularly true following the 2011 Christie Commission report which recommended stronger local partnership working and the orientation of local public services towards preventing rather than just reacting to adverse outcomes. The Covid-19
pandemic and associated lockdown measures (beginning in March 2020) have posed enormous challenges for public services and partnership working at the local level. Aside from rising demand for cash-strapped public services, and troubling implications for existing social inequalities, the lockdown has also forced organisations to work in different ways, particularly working remotely. Our project researched the impact of the
pandemic and lockdown on local partnership working arrangements, aiming to answer the following research questions:

1. How has Covid-19 affected Scottish local partnership arrangements, in the short and medium term?
2. How has Covid-19 affected efforts to implement the recommendations of the Christie Commission (particularly the prevention principle) in Scottish local government?
3. How have Scottish local partnerships changed their practices to meet the challenge of the pandemic, and how can any progress be built upon?
4. What are the implications of these for existing social inequalities?
5. What are the potential lessons for other countries, particularly in terms of local partnership responses to crises? 

Alongside the challenges posed by Covid-19 there are a range of opportunities and successes, alongside examples of innovative and successful partnership working, often developed and carried out very quickly and with a minimum of preparation. While acknowledging the enormously negative impacts Covid-19 has had in Scotland and globally, it is important to draw out possible lessons for partnership working in crisis situations. We therefore sought to identify examples of successful or innovative practice by and in local partnerships in response to Covid-19, and the potential lessons these may provide for other local partnerships.

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http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2928530