Case studies

Innovation in local government is about improving the lives of the people in our communities. Browse through our case studies to see the many innovative programmes councils are involved in.

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Lancaster City Council: A Local Plan for delivering climate adaptation and mitigation

Lancaster City Council declared a Climate Emergency in January 2019, at which point the Local Plan had been submitted and it was not possible to be significantly amended. The Local Plan was adopted in July 2020, and the Council immediately entered a Climate Emergency partial review to ensure that climate change mitigation and adaptation become fundamental to placemaking in the District.

Reduce the dumping of waste bags, recycling items and bulky items on the streets of Westminster

From June 2021 – August 2021, the City of Westminster undertook a behavioural insights trial to test ways of reducing the dumping of waste bags and bulky items. Two new bin designs were tested. One design used, “biophilia”, which involves exposing people to images of nature to prime them to be more pro social. The other added “affect” to the bins by using playfully designed characters.

Cambridgeshire County Council and University College London: Procurement tools to measure and reduce carbon emissions

Delivery of net zero requires significant systemic change in the ways in which local authorities procure the goods and services they rely on. This project works to produce two tools to aid in scope 3 emissions reductions. Together these provide a standardised, transparent mechanism to measure emissions, along with a trajectory for best practice to effectively communicate the Council’s ambitions to its suppliers.

Cornwall Council and the University of Exeter: Climate Change and Health Adaptation Tool

The Climate Change and Health Tool is an evidence-based resource to support public sector institutions, initially in Cornwall, but with the hope that it can be rolled out nationwide. The model will provide evidence for decision-makers to focus beyond short-term outcomes and understand the potential implications of climate change mitigation and adaptation on health and the subsequent impacts across a broad range of sectors and services.

London Borough of Lambeth and London Southbank University: Retrofit Skills

Research was conducted by London Southbank University (LSBU) in partnership with Lambeth Council to understand the local retrofit supply chain and workforce in the two main retrofit channels: Public-Procured and Private-Purchased. The recommendations and outputs include a list of the roles and skills needed to 2030 and 2050, a stakeholder map of employers and supply chain, and what the council and other stakeholders should do to address gaps and barriers and optimise local benefits from the delivery of net zero retrofits.

City of York Council: Zero Carbon Homes Programme

A new build housing programme with all homes built to Passivhaus certification, ensuring high thermal efficiency. In addition, all schemes are low parking developments with a focus on cycling and walking with car free streets.

North East Lincolnshire Council: Smart Energy Greater Lincolnshire, supporting businesses and SME’s in their carbon saving journey in challenging times

Smart Energy Greater Lincolnshire is a £8.5 million European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Salix part funded project, providing ‘one stop shop’ free advice and grants for small/medium businesses (SMEs) and public buildings to boost renewable energy use and lower carbon emissions.

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council: ‘Virtual Bradford’ – an open digital twin for the City of Bradford

Digital twins are an excellent tool that can be used to create what-if scenarios and enable data-driven decision making, which will be explored by the Council and others.

Cheshire West and Chester Council: Enhancing health, tackling climate change

Cheshire’s Natural Health Service uses the best of the county’s green space assets to help tackle recognised local health inequalities. This initiative builds on the growing body of evidence that activities in the natural environment can have a significant impact on keeping people healthy.

Nottingham City Council: Carbon Neutral Agenda

In 2019, Nottingham set an ambitious target to become the first carbon neutral city in the UK by 2028. In keeping with Nottingham’s proud tradition of climate leadership, their Carbon Neutral Charter set out a vision for sustainable carbon neutrality on behalf of the council and the city’s Green Partnership.