Co-production was once heralded as a transformative approach for public services, empowering communities to help shape the services they use. However, over two decades after its rise, the co-production model has remained largely static, despite significant changes in the political and economic landscape. At Inclusion Unlimited, we believe these outdated models not only fail to achieve their intended goals but also hinder trust-building by creating unrealistic expectations and excluding diverse voices. It is time for local authorities to adopt a more pragmatic approach that bridges the gap between theory and practice.

The Inclusive Impact model: A practical solution