Somerset is building a permanent research infrastructure inside its council to ensure that decisions about housing, transport, education, and green spaces are backed by evidence rather than instinct or tradition. The county faces a combination of challenges—low educational attainment, an ageing population, and the needs of rural and coastal communities—that interact in ways standard council data cannot capture. Most local authorities lack the in-house capacity to commission, conduct, or interpret research on the wider determinants of health. This collaboration embeds research skills directly into council teams, so evidence use becomes routine, not exceptional. If successful, the programme will shift how a large unitary authority makes decisions about the systems that quietly shape health: bus routes, school meal policies, planning permissions, and social care eligibility. Communities will co-design the research questions, meaning the evidence reflects local priorities rather than academic ones. Over five years, the collaboration aims to leave behind a self-sustaining culture where council staff routinely appraise evidence and feed findings back into policy—reducing health inequalities without requiring external researchers to keep the system running.
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Background Somerset is the 2nd largest local authority in the country and faces a range of challenges, including low educational attainment, meeting the needs of rural and coastal communities, and an ageing population. As of 1 April 2023, Somerset is now the country’s second largest unitary authority. This is a pivotal moment for Somerset’s developing health, care and government infrastructure. Together with partners we will develop a culture of doing participatory research and being evidence-based in decisions that impact the wider determinants of health. Vision We will develop a research culture that is embedded with our local communities. We will develop the behaviours, skills, and values to create a culture that provides the conditions for multidisciplinary research to be carried out with and by local people, creating impact in their own communities and on decisions made in Somerset and beyond. Objectives 1. Public involvement in research that is inclusive of and responsive to local needs 2. To support research collaborations 3. Create the systems necessary to streamline the design, delivery and use of research 4. Create a culture that supports research and systematically uses evidence in decision-making. 5. Impacts and findings will reach diverse audiences from local to national. Key deliverables Governance structures will be established to oversee the programme. Posts will be created to manage and deliver five workstreams reflecting the objectives of the programme over two phases: Years 1-3 will focus upon capacity building and implementation of the infrastructure to co-produce research with communities. Years 4-5 will mainstream most of the functions into existing council posts to leave a sustainable research infrastructure. Collaborations/Partnerships UWE Bristol will give the Council support to build research and evidence appraisal skills and support the design and conduct of research. Training and development opportunities will build the capacity of the Council to conduct research and appraise evidence. The Research Business and Innovation unit will support collaborative bids for further research and evaluation funding. Spark is Somerset’s community infrastructure organisation. They will co-lead the Public Involvement workstream to involve communities in identifying research needs and opportunities. University College London’s Institute of Health Equity will support Somerset to develop its approach to addressing the wider determinants of health and evidencing the impact. Timelines and milestones for delivery The Gantt chart illustrates how Somerset’s HDRC will develop from Dec 2023 Year 1 to Nov 2028. Milestones and key activities have been identified for the core setup and each workstream respectively. Impact and dissemination The impacts of the HDRC will include a sustained culture of engaging with and co-producing research with diverse communities; a culture of evidence-based decision-making regarding the wider determinants of health; strong research partnerships formed; research communication channels established, from local to national; and ultimately increased confidence in Somerset Council services and functions and reduced health inequalities. This HDRC will put a spotlight on the importance of communities in research, feeding back to communities the impact they have had, whilst the outcomes and outputs of the HDRC will also be amplified by the platform of the UCL Institute of Health Equity.
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