Against a background of overall borrowing prudence and austerity, UK local authorities are being asked to lead on some of the biggest issues facing the country, including decarbonisation, the building of social housing, and providing effective social care to an ageing population.

Delivering on this agenda within such constraints requires service and operational innovation whilst maintaining the support and trust of local residents, which Local Government Association research has shown to have fallen significantly over the past five years. If Local Authorities are to meet these grand challenges over the coming decade, sourcing competitive capital and working with residents to find solutions will be essential.

At a time when public sector finances are under increasing pressure, crowdfunding still mistakenly seen as being just another form of charitable giving has the potential to offer a new model of finance via an investment-based business model that generates social, environmental and economic returns. The report will be of interest to finance, legal, treasury and procurement teams across the UK public sector as innovative and collective solutions are sought to the above challenges.