Issue - meetings

(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-038-2017/18).

(1)        That a bid in the sum of £25,000 to the Local Government Association for a Behavioural Insights Programme be supported by match funding from the ‘Invest to Save’ fund; and

(2)        That, in the event the bid to the Local Government Association was unsuccessful, the full sum of £50,000 for the Behavioural Insights Programme be funded from the ‘Invest to Save’ fund.

The Leader of Council presented a report on the Behavioural Insights Project.

The Leader reported that traditional thinking was people made logical decisions based on the information available to them at the time.  In reality, decision making was in part influenced by the unconscious, meaning they did not always make rational choices. Behavioural science could help to predict and influence this behaviour. Each year the Council sent thousands of letters, bills, reminders and legal notices to its residents and businesses. A great deal of this correspondence had no impact on the recipient despite the fact that it was in their own interests to respond to or act upon its content. By making seemingly small changes to the way choices and information was presented, the Council could make a significant impact on the response and create better outcomes for the Council, its residents and businesses.

The Leader stated that, to help fund this project, a bid in the sum of £25,000 had been made to the Local Government Association (LGA), and approval was requested for this bid to be match funded by the Council from the ‘Invest to Save’ fund if it was successful. If the bid was unsuccessful, or the conditions imposed by the LGA were considered unacceptable, then consideration should be given to the full cost of the Project - £50,000 – being funded from the ‘Invest to Save’ fund.

Decision:

(1)        That a bid in the sum of £25,000 to the Local Government Association for a Behavioural Insights Programme be supported by match funding from the ‘Invest to Save’ fund; and

(2)        That, in the event the bid to the Local Government Association was unsuccessful, the full sum of £50,000 for the Behavioural Insights Programme be funded from the ‘Invest to Save’ fund.

Reasons for Decision:

Behavioural insights were already employed across the Council to a limited degree, including with debt collection; this project was to build upon this work and introduce them more broadly across all Council functions. The resources and specialist knowledge required to do this did not currently exist within the Council (along with the funding from the LGA), so this bid would allow for this work to take place with the overarching aim to manage service demand and achieve efficiencies.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To not proceed with the project; however, if the LGA bid was not approved or the conditions of the grant were not acceptable then consideration should be given to the Council fully funding the project.