Case studies

Screening has a significant role to play in delivering earlier diagnosis of most common cancers. We applied to be part of the LGA Behavioural Insights programme to work alongside national experts and develop an innovation to increase cancer-screening rates in targeted communities.

Wigan Council's Collections team used behavioural insights to encourage tenants who were in arrears and who had not been in contact with the Collections team to get in touch and access support. The team sent a one-page letter to tenants – written with an empathetic tone emphasising support rather than arrears and rent collection, and featuring a single call-to-action. Laura Melling of Wigan Council reflects on the project.

Newcastle City Council wanted to understand why certain families turn down the offer of early help, and to identify opportunities to increase the take-up of support.

Dacorum Borough Council moved its Council Tax registration process from paper-based to online, and in the process used behavioural insights to redesign the layout and wording of the applications.

The London Borough of Croydon designed a behavioural solution to help encourage the uptake of alternative pathways to finding accommodation.

Warwickshire County Council worked on the LGA Behavioural Insights Programme

This pilot project focused on developing an intervention to reduce sugar consumption in schools through a series of personalised ‘sugar swap’ messages.

North Yorkshire County Council worked with the Behavioural Insights Team to apply behavioural science to their communications campaigns during the coronavirus crisis.

‘The Bridge’ is a tool for data visualisation, designed to display public sector data and provide effective economic forecasting and market insights. Follow-on funding was granted to share the project and its learning with other councils.

Local government has an important role to play when it comes to achieving both UK and global climate targets, but how can data be used to plan and implement climate initiatives more effectively? “Project 3D“ is an innovative, data led project that is supporting Birmingham to meet decarbonisation targets.