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Agenda item

Scrutiny Review - Draft Scrutiny Initation Document and Presentation ( Behavourial Changes)

Minutes:

The Committee received a presentation from Lynn Stratton, Head of Strategy, Marketing and Communications, which was supplied with the agenda. Kevin Townsend, Corporate Director, Environment and Regeneration Services introduced the Draft Scrutiny Initiation Document.

 

The following main points were noted during the discussion:

 

An overview of nudge theory

·         Behavioural science or in some cases referred to as ‘Nudge Economics’ was developed by two US academics as an approach to improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness.

·         Members were advised that central to the ‘nudge’ concept is that people are helped to think appropriately and make better decisions by being offered choices that have been designed to enable those outcomes.

·         The core principles of ‘nudge’ are that the choices offered to encourage a shift in behaviour should be easy, attractive, social and timely.

·         Members were advised that to determine what works best, initiatives need time to be tested.

·         Members were advised that the scope of the review should be narrowed down to certain areas and then trialled to observe effectiveness. The Committee should agree on focused behaviours and audiences that could be influenced to make big difference.

·         Members were advised that besides employing nudge techniques to influence behaviour change, some forms of enforcement and incentives may also be required. The review would consider how to encourage positive behaviours and discourage negative behaviours.

 

Changes to the Scrutiny Initiation Document

·         The Corporate Director, Environment and Regeneration welcomed the opportunity of the review topic especially within the Service and advised that the actions and campaign should focus around a narrow cohort of which behaviour would require change and useful to pilot it within a narrow geographical area.

·         As part of the review exercise, academic experts will be invited to share their experiences on how it works. Evidence will also be provided of best practice in other public sector organisations.  A visit to Wigan Council may also be considered. The invitation to an event focusing on behaviour change and the environment was also circulated – A seminar in central London about Behavioural Insights

·         Various issues were raised regarding Planning including developers not being clear on what type of scheme to build in certain areas of the borough, the use of green roof gardens etc. The Corporate Director advised this was – more a matter of improving communication than behaviour change.

·         The Corporate Director proposed that the following topics could usefully be explored as part of the Scrutiny: recycling behaviour -  in particular food waste; short journey personal car use; take up of Angelic Energy and flytipping (residential and businesses). He confirmed that the council is part of a London-wide pilot which is considering innovative ways to combat fly-tipping that he would share some of the generic techniques used during the pilot in London-wide fly tipping exercise with members. 

·         Members agreed to amend the list of topics to be explored by the Scrutiny Initiation Document to the above. They also asked that schools and council staff should be among the target audiences encouraged to change their behaviour.

·         Finally it was noted that austerity was a factor affecting the council’s ability to deliver change.

RESOLVED:

That the Scrutiny Initiation Document be agreed subject to the changes noted above.

 

Supporting documents: