smarter choices

SMARTER CHOICESSutton’s approach to behaviour change - and

the work of the London Collaborative

London Sustainability Exchange

September 2009

Daniel Ratchford - Strategic Director, Environment & Leisure

Contents

• Introduction: “ behaviour change”?

• The London Collaborative

• Sutton’s approach to behaviour change: smarter choices

• Smarter Travel Sutton

• Summary

Introduction: “behaviour change”?

• Much current focus on behaviour change

• Some of this is new, but we have been doing lots anyway

• Local government is leading the way

• Some particularly innovative practice in some London boroughs

• Sutton’s smarter choices programmes a good example

• Very different, and distinctive, approaches adopted

• The London Collaborative attempting to share – and learn from – these approaches

The London Collaborative

• Funded through Capital Ambition, London’s Improvement and Efficiency Partnership

• A focus on particular themes, including behaviour change

• Sponsored by Chief Executives at Richmond and Sutton

• Aiming to:

– build capacity and thought leadership

– learn from innovative practice

– develop practical projects

• See The Capital Ambition guide to behaviour change, August 2009 for more information

Smarter choices: some examples

In Sutton, we recognise that there is a wide scale of behaviour change approaches

“Carrots” “Sticks”

Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones

Social advertising Peer pressure

Education

Financial incentives

Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges


We use all of these approaches to varying extents in different services. These are just a few examples


Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

Photo competition

Climate change ambassadors

Waste awareness officers Loft insulation

Community toilets

Recycling campaignsWalk Once a Week

Sutton Life Centre

Speed humps

Leisure centres

Garden Waste Collection

SEN transport

Tidy Britain Car Litter Campaign

Bye-laws

Planning policies

Dog fouling

Fly-tipping



Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

Photo competition


Loft insulation

Community toilets


Sutton Life Centre

Speed humps

Leisure centres


SEN transport


Bye-laws

Planning policies

Dog fouling

Fly-tipping


Our waste awareness officers help people choose to recycle more. They talk directly to residents and

businesses to explain our recycling policies, and to provide practical

solutions to some of the barriers to increased recycling – for example, more bins (or less), and different

collection arrangements

Waste awareness officers



Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

Photo competition


Waste awareness officers

Community toilets


Sutton Life Centre

Speed humps

Leisure centres


SEN transport


Bye-laws

Planning policies

Dog fouling

Fly-tipping


We recently worked with B&Q to make available 6,000 rolls of loft insulation to our residents at a

massively reduced price, and we delivered them for free to many

households – helping them to choose to take a very simple step to make their homes more carbon efficient,

and to save on their bills

Loft insulation



Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

Photo competition



Community toilets


Sutton Life Centre

Speed humps

Leisure centres


SEN transport


Bye-laws

Planning policies

Dog fouling

Fly-tipping

The Sutton Life Centre will provide cutting-edge, interactive

presentations with information and advice on essential ‘life skills’

(alongside a new library, youth centre, games area, and garden). This will help our young people to choose to lead safer and more

productive lives, and to understand the impact of their lives on the

community around them




Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

Photo competition



Community toilets


Sutton Life Centre

Speed humps

Leisure centres


SEN transport


Bye-laws

Planning policies

Dog fouling

Fly-tipping


Like all local authorities, we provide leisure centres, facilities and classes.

These provide opportunities for enjoyment and community

engagement. But most importantly they help residents to choose to

exercise more and to improve their health



Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

Photo competition



Community toilets


Sutton Life Centre

Speed humps

Leisure centres


SEN transport


Bye-laws

Planning policies

Dog fouling

Fly-tipping


We put in place a wide range of traffic calming measures (road humps and bumps, roundabouts, low speed zones, etc.). These don’t necessarily force people to drive more safely, but they help Sutton’s drivers to choose

to slow down (if only to protect themselves and their cars)



Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

Photo competition



Community toilets


Sutton Life Centre

Speed humps

Leisure centres


SEN transport


Bye-laws

Planning policies

Dog fouling

Fly-tipping


We (and our local police teams) tackle dog fouling by fining people

who allow their dogs to foul our parks and pavements – helping them (and persuading others) to choose to be

more considerate, to benefit themselves and others in the future



Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

Photo competition



Community toilets


Sutton Life Centre

Speed humps

Leisure centres


SEN transport


Bye-laws

Planning policies

Dog fouling

Fly-tipping

Tidy Britain’s current car litter campaign encourages residents to ‘name and shame’ anyone they see dropping litter from cars. In addition,

we then fine them – helping them (and others) to choose to be part of a more pleasant and caring community




Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

Photo competition



Community toilets


Sutton Life Centre

Speed humps

Leisure centres


SEN transport


Bye-laws

Planning policies

Dog fouling

Fly-tipping


At the far end of the scale, we use bye-laws and other legislation to

attempt to eliminate choice altogether, where we judge that some behaviour (e.g. around drunk driving)

is simply not acceptable. But in reality, some people still choose to

break theselaws

Smarter Travel Sutton

• Our most successful smarter choices initiative

• £5m programme delivered in partnership with TfL

• Enabling residents to make better choices about their travel

• Benefits: less congestion; lower carbon emissions; cheaper transport; and better health

• Positive outcomes:

– a 2% reduction in car use

– a 50% increase in cycling

– a 13% increase in bus use

– 100% of schools covered by a school travel plan

– 16,000 employees covered by a workforce travel plan

Smarter Travel Sutton

Smarter Travel Sutton is “more of the carrot, and less of the stick…”


Events

Community champions

Physical changes

One-to-ones


Education


Making it easier

Legislation

Enforcement

Fines

Prosecution

Naming and shaming

Service changes

Fees and charges

http://www.radiojackie.com/advertisers/smartertravelsutton.gif





Ten lessons from Smarter Travel

1. Be clear about objectives

2. Be transparent about what you are trying to achieve

3. Segment your audience

4. Use a wide range of approaches and initiatives at the same time

5. Find the movers and shakers in the population

6. Ensure you have the resources, time and commitment

7. Measure what works, and what doesn’t. Learn from others’ successes and mistakes (e.g. through the London Collaborative)

8. Programmes delivered in partnership with others, at a local level, work best

9. Find ways of mainstreaming behaviour change

10. Don’t try to ‘trick’ residents into doing things differently – let them make smarter choices for themselves

Smarter choices: other examples

Our smarter choices initiatives give residents greater choice over their lives – and the ability to reassess some established habits and behaviours

Choose to keep the streets

clean…

Choose to use SEN pick-up

points…

Choose to remain drug-free,

and to stop smoking…

Choose to eat more healthily…

Choose to drive safely – or not at

all…

Choose to obey the law, and to report crime…

Choose to behave more

considerately…

Choose to use your local shops…

Choose to get involved in culture…

Choose to take more exercise…

Choose to access services over the web…

Choose to try not to spread the

flu…

Choose to walk to school

sometimes…

Choose your own care package…

Choose when you want to get

pregnant…

Choose to reduce, re-use and recycle…

Choose to produce less

carbon…

Choose to learn…

Choose to drink less alcohol…

Please choose not to let your dog

foul…

Summary

• Local government has always led ‘behaviour change’ amongst its communities

• Recent debate has usefully brought this back into the spotlight; but local authorities have always played this role

• There is a scale of initiatives: from legislation and enforcement; to social marketing and peer education

• Many of Sutton’s most successful programmes have involved bringing together a wide range of initiatives at the softer end of the scale (“more of the carrot, and less of the stick…”). We call this: enabling “smarter choices”

• We have learned many practical lessons from smarter choices that we are keen to share

• The London Collaborative provides a powerful mechanism for this sharing and learning across London

[email protected]

www.twitter.com/danielratchford

www.sutton.gov.uk

smarter choices

Technology

examples carrots

shaming service changes

recycling policies

different services

london collaborativeattempting

environment leisure

youth centre

bills loft insulation