Case studies

This project aimed to provide scientific advice and support as well as building capability within South Gloucestershire Council to identify pathways to local climate targets and support the delivery of the South Gloucestershire local Climate Action Plan, which is now at its second year of delivery.

Over the past year there has been considerable media speculation as to the carbon impacts of enforced homeworking. Has working from home helped to reduce carbon emissions? The home working energy usage project sought to take advantage of the enforced homeworking that became essential for most non-frontline staff at Durham County Council and Durham University to explore the empirical truth.

NR3 has a simple objective of providing a mechanism for licensing authorities to record details of where a taxi or PHV drivers licence has been revoked, or an application for one refused.

Working with MacRebur and Shell as part of the ADEPT SMART Places Live Labs Programme, Cumbria County Council has introduced ‘plastic’ roads around the county using products which replace some of the bitumen with recycled waste plastic.

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.

This case study explains how Southampton City Libraries became a Library of Sanctuary in October 2020. This case study explains how Southampton City Libraries became a Library of Sanctuary in October 2020. This case study forms part of the Culture Hub.

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.

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.

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.

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.