LEARNINGS FROM NEWCASTLE ’ S COVID-19 COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC RESPONSE
Simon J L Massey , Dr Anthea Bill , and Kristine Giddy
The City of Newcastle was one of the first NSW local governments to develop a Community and Economic Resilience Package to support the local community through the unprecedented effects of COVID-19 . The $ 5.5 million package included a suite of programs and policy changes , particularly aimed at the most vulnerable and emerging at-risk community members . The Resilience Package was continuously evaluated during its implementation through a partnership with the Hunter Research Foundation Centre [ HRF Centre ] at the University of Newcastle .
The HRF Centre provided fortnightly briefings for the project team on global best practice in local government responses and embedded an independent evaluation , both quantitative and qualitative methods , into the program implementation . This approach enabled the City of Newcastle to pivot quickly to meet the community ’ s changing needs and priorities in the dynamic and unprecedented service delivery environment . The evaluation provides a rich source of data and insights , which may provide valuable learning for economic development practitioners .
This article highlights four programs implemented by the City of Newcastle as part of the Community and Economic Resilience Package : The Lean in Newy app , Online Training for Small Businesses , Community Grants program and the E-library expansion . The article unpacks each of these programs in three ways . Firstly , an overview of the program including the motivation for its establishment . Secondly , measurable benefits for the local community , including both quantitative and qualitative outputs . And thirdly , learnings for economic development practitioners , including both content and process improvements .
LEAN IN NEWY APP
Overview : “ Lean in Newy ” is a social action and economic incentive app developed in partnership with GreenBe ( local tech scaleup ) that utilises a digital solution to nudge , engage and propel local behaviour . Users are encouraged to undertake a range of challenges in order to accrue points . Points can then be redeemed for vouchers at participating Newcastle businesses . The aim is to stimulate acts of good will in the community , reward community members for their action and support small business through the redemption of rewards .
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