Title

Date

Start Time

Duration

The efficiency imperative: driving impact via data driven outreach With increasing demand and shrinking resources, councils face growing pressure to deliver impactful support to vulnerable residents efficiently.

In this webinar, we explore how data driven outreach campaigns can help local authorities overcome these challenges and achieve impactful results.

Join us to hear from two leading local government organisations as they share their experiences using Campaign Manager, a powerful new feature of the LIFT platform.

Discover how they’ve leveraged their data using intelligent analytics to identify financially vulnerable residents, streamline their outreach processes, and maximise both resident outcomes and cost savings.

This session will cover:

- Strategies to manage rising demand with limited resources
- How data insights can drive targeted and efficient resident support
- Real world results from councils using Campaign Manager for impactful outreach campaigns

Join us to learn how your council can also turn insights into action and make smarter, data-driven decisions to support your communities.

With guest speakers:

- Fahmida Rahman, Senior Policy Officer, Greater London Authority
- Seth Pearson, Darlington Partnership Director, Darlington Borough Council
- Sarah Small, Darlington Partnership Programme Officer, Darlington Borough Council

26/3/2025

10:30am GMT

1.3 hours

Protecting vulnerable consumers in regulated sectors Regulated industries such as water, energy and finance play a critical role in people’s lives. With increasing economic pressures, more consumers are becoming vulnerable, requiring additional support and protections.

Regulators like Ofwat, Ofgem and the FCA have tightened expectations around how businesses identify, support and engage with vulnerable customers. Failure to comply can result in reputational damage, regulatory penalties and customer hardship. But how can organisations balance compliance with commercial priorities while delivering fair outcomes for consumers?

Join industry experts as we explore best practices, regulatory expectations and practical strategies for businesses to proactively identify and protect vulnerable consumers. Gain actionable insights on:

- The evolving regulatory landscape across Ofwat, Ofgem and the FCA
- Effective strategies for identifying and supporting vulnerable customers
- Case studies showcasing successful industry approaches
- How technology and data can enhance consumer protection

Join this webinar to learn how to strengthen your compliance strategy, improve customer engagement and safeguard both consumers and your organisation’s reputation.

Register now to stay ahead of regulatory expectations and build a more consumer focused business.

30/4/2025

10:30am BST

1.3 hours

Harnessing data for regional impact: empowering local leaders to drive change Devolution is one of the core missions of the new government, promising a strong focus on giving local areas more control over services. To tackle economic inactivity, and with many people across the UK needing support, it’s vital that local authorities deliver effective, targeted interventions. The success of tailored, region-specific approaches depends on how well local areas can harness data to drive change.

Local organisations, from Mayoral Combined Authorities to county councils, need to deliver these crucial services. Accessing and using the data insights required to implement efficient and effective programmes is a challenge and, without localised data, decision making can become less accurate. This leads to inefficient resource allocation and missed opportunities to reach those who need help the most.

Data analysis offers the key to overcoming these challenges. By harnessing the power of local data, authorities can get the accurate insights they need to target support where it will be most effective. With the right insights, local areas can design and deliver services that are more tailored, timely and impactful, ensuring the right residents get the right support at the right time.

Proven results from current data led initiatives already show the transformative potential of this approach.

Join this webinar to hear from guest speakers who have successfully implemented data driven campaigns. They will showcase real world examples of how they have come together to achieve measurable outcomes.

We’ll also explore how these data insights can be applied to address key issues like economic inactivity, youth unemployment and social isolation to deliver lasting change across regions.

21/5/2025

10:30am BST

1.3 hours

Blog

Nearly 75% of councils to cut Council Tax support budgets

Deven Ghelani Published on 05th April 2016

Analysis released this week finds that more English councils than ever have decided that they must cut council tax support budgets because of the funding pressures they face.

Research by the New Policy Institute (NPI) shows that 340,000 of the poorest families in England will be hit by a tax increase this April as councils cut support for a fourth successive year.

Localised Council Tax Reduction Schemes (CTRS) are budgets that provide help to low income households to pay their council tax bills.

This is a predictable outcome from the decision to localise support in April 2013, while simultaneously cutting support by 10%. The majority of councils now require all working age residents to pay at least some council tax regardless of their income.

Of the 351 councils in England nearly 75% (259 councils) require residents to make a minimum payment towards their council tax liability. Over two-fifths of councils (144) ask for a contribution of at least 20% whilst nearly one in five (67 councils) ask for over 20% of the charge to be met.

Councils are making efforts to protect residents. However, as one council office put it “We can’t see whether the people clobbered by cuts in national support are the same people that will be hit by local reforms.”

Policy in Practice is helping councils to model the costs and impacts of future schemes. Looking ahead at schemes from April 2017, we are seeing a trend towards higher council tax liability, with increases of up to 3.99%, which has a knock-on effect on the amount that unprotected low income households have to pay. We are also being asked to model simpler schemes, and helping councils to look at who might be impacted by different schemes.

You can access more information and analysis on the localisation of Council Tax Support here.

340,000 low income households to pay more Council Tax

The research shows that from April 2016 a total of 2.2 million low income families receiving Council Tax Support (CTS) pay on average £169 more per year in council tax than they would have under the former system of Council Tax Benefit. This includes 340,000 seeing sharp increases in their council tax from April 2016 as their council cut the support available.

The 340,000 families facing significant rises in their council tax from this April include 70,000 living in areas where the council has introduced a minimum payment for the first time. On average these families will be required to pay £171 in additional council tax. In Luton, which this month introduced a minimum payment of 25%, over 11,000 low income households will pay on average £240 more per year in council tax. Four councils in East Sussex introduced minimum payments of 20%, whilst Wandsworth in London replaced several other smaller changes with a minimum payment of 30%.

The remaining 270,000 families facing a significant hit are in areas where the minimum payment has risen. Kettering Borough Council, in Northamptonshire, increased its minimum payment from 25% to 45%, and now has the highest such minimum payment in England affecting 3,800 people. Here a single jobseeker with an income of £73.10 per week will be required to spend roughly 10% of their weekly income on council tax. Ten other councils now have a minimum payment of at least 30%.

The research shows that councils are raising funds by increasing the council tax liability for their poorest residents. After the first two years of CTS it appeared that minimum payments were trending towards 20% but now in its fourth year more councils are exceeding this level. 67 councils now have minimum payments over 20%, 14 more than last year.

Theo Barry-Born, Researcher at the New Policy Institute, said: “Low income families have once again been hit by significant tax increases and are losing support based on where they live, not what they need. These tax increases for the poorest look set to continue in future years as councils seek to manage further falls in central government funding.”

Call to Include Council Tax Support in Universal Credit

Policy in Practice argues that Council Tax Support should be integrated into Universal Credit, as originally intended.

Deven Ghelani, Director of Policy in Practice, said “We are helping local authorities across the UK to accurately model council tax support schemes, taking into account all other policies including the increase in liability of up to 4%, the impact of other welfare reforms and the benefit of the National Living Wage, and increased personal allowances.

“Through this work we are seeing more innovation, with one local authority using the offer of support as a tool to encourage unemployed people to engage with support services available to residents. We are also seeing increased efforts to create simpler schemes that lower the costs of administration.”

“However, local schemes introduce complexity into the benefit system, and council efforts could be directed toward supporting residents in other ways if council tax support were centralised, as it is in Scotland and Wales.”