Insights and action learning
Building connections and influencing change
Insights Focus Groups
Our recent focus groups have provided valuable insights into key areas of local government's journey towards net zero. As a reminder, the findings from our discussions on green skills, health and care integration, and housing and retrofit decision-making can be found in the Insights Library on the Community Platform.
Stay tuned for more insights!
Our most recent focus groups explored:
Policy recommendations for accelerating net zero
Participants emphasised the need for stable funding and targeted skills training, identifying regulatory mandates as significant barriers to progress.
Experiences driving net zero innovation in local government
Discussions focused on fostering an innovation culture within councils, emphasising the need for sustainable funding models and collaboration for effective project implementation.
Building investible local net zero project pipelines
Insights revealed that while many are familiar with project pipelines there's a lack of consensus on their nature, financial viability remains a top concern, highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships.
Keep an eye on the Insights Library for the full reports, available soon.
We’ll be circulating invites for the next round of focus groups in the coming weeks.
Knowledge Exchange Insights
Leicestershire County Council and Oldham Council: Collaborative Learning for Community Energy Transformation.
We are excited to share a new section of the Community Platform Insights Library that is focused on knowledge exchange, with our first feature focused on Leicestershire and Oldham’s collaborative learning for community energy transformation.
In the face of climate challenges and the need for sustainable, community-driven energy solutions, these two regions have taken on distinct but complementary net zero projects…
- Leicestershire, a largely rural county, is working to demonstrate how local energy projects can be developed and delivered with limited resources.
- Oldham, a borough within Greater Manchester, focuses on community-led energy planning, particularly in areas with limited capacity for direct engagement.
This knowledge exchange tells a compelling story as both regions learn from each other to accelerate net zero project delivery, while ensuring local communities are central to their energy transitions.
Action Learning
Future Ready Quarterly Evaluation Survey.
The results from the July - September 2204 evaluation survey are in! See what you had to say below:
Future Ready difference? →
- It has opened doors to new perspectives and a wider evidence base
- It has provided a network of peers enabling opportunitie4s to explore specific and tailored questions and experience sharing
- Participating in the programme grants access to a broad knowledge base and a network of successful examples, empowers participants to do that work that makes change happen
Significant learnings →
I didn't think net zero planning was relevant for me. However, through the workshop and researching further, net zero planning can also include what we are doing, e.g. a skills delivery plan."
38% cite their most important learning this quarter has been how other authorities are approaching issues. Climate impact assessments and net zero planning sessions were well recieved.
I now have a vast range of networks and wider collaboration opportunities
81% connected with peers outside structured events. While face-to-face meetings are the most effective for collaboration and networking, a variety of connection options is highly valued.
We talk of being part of the Future Ready cohort of 52 local authorities looking at system transformation. [That] ahs allowed us to lever open some doors that might not otherwise have opened for us. As with much change work, creating an impression of what is possible is sometimes just as important as doing the work."
43% cited they have relied on a wider pool of knowledge evidence base access through Future Ready to make change happen.