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

New analysis: Who are the most financially vulnerable residents in London?

Duncan Hatfield Published on 03rd September 2020

Even before COVID-19 hit, financially vulnerable residents in London were facing lower living standards and higher costs of living. New data collected and modelled for Policy in Practice’s Living Standards Index for London shows that, though April’s COVID-19 benefits boost gave extra support to low-income Londoners, many were already over-exposed to the financial effects of the pandemic because of welfare reforms.

In this blog post we reveal the latest findings from our data-led investigation into the causes and consequences of poverty in London.

Read Low-income Londoners: before and after COVID-19 report

Seven new findings about financially vulnerable residents in London

Londoners are poorer. Almost a quarter of working-age low-income London households (24.4% of those tracked) were facing a cash shortfall in 2019, up from 15.7% in 2016.
Welfare reforms made people poorer. 39% of working-age households who were affected by at least one of five main welfare reforms were financially vulnerable, compared to just 17% among those not impacted by any of these reforms.
Universal Credit and the LHA rate had a negative impact before the pandemic. Close to half (44%) of households on Universal Credit could no longer make ends meet by August 2019, while two-fifths (40%) of households impacted by the Local Housing Allowance were in cash shortfall.
More families with children are poorer. Almost two-thirds (61%) of families with children were worse-off after household costs by 2019 than they were in 2016. As a result, the proportion of families with children facing a cash shortfall had doubled from 11% to 23%. It is estimated that across London this could equate to 229,000 children living in households that could not make ends meet.
The COVID-19 welfare support helped some. As a result of April 2020’s welfare reforms, the average working-age low-income London household’s disposable income has been boosted by £85. This has meant an extra 6% of London’s pre-existing working-age low-income households can make ends meet.
The new LHA increase has helped some private renters. 20% of private tenants who previously saw restrictions in housing support will no longer have their housing-related benefits restricted as a result of the increases to the Local Housing Allowance introduced in April 2020. Among those who are still impacted, their disposable income will increase by £172, moving them on average from a significant cash shortfall (-£140) to a small surplus of £33.
The benefit cap stopped some households from getting COVID-19 welfare support. However, the benefit cap is still preventing some financially vulnerable Londoners from fully benefiting from the April reforms. Those who were already capped received no additional support and have an average cash shortfall of over £400, while those who are newly capped received some boost in income but remain with an average cash shortfall of £284.

Policy in Practice’s Low-Income Londoners project is supported by Trust for London, and to date 20 London Boroughs have collaborated to learn more about the capital’s poorest residents. By pooling their data, the councils have enabled analysis of around 20 million data records in four years, covering over 750,000 low-income households in the capital.

View previous findings from our Low-Income Londoners data led investigation

Graphic illustrating the breadth of data led analysis into financially vulnerable residents in London

Councils can boost COVID-19 recovery with real-time data insights

For the first time, councils have access to real-time monthly updates on living standards thanks to Innovate UK funding secured by Policy in Practice. These data insights will support councils with their economic and social recovery plans and help them to tackle local poverty faster.

With so much economic uncertainty on the horizon, and looking forward to 2021, councils will want to proactively identify and support the most vulnerable households. The real-time monthly insights will mean predicting council finances and preparing action plans can be informed by data, and the impact evidenced and tracked over time.

The funding from the UK’s innovation agency will enable faster data insights by automating the process. Data will be able to be processed on a monthly basis, rather than quarterly, and the processing time will increase greatly in speed, shortening from six weeks to under six days.

Ask us about real-time monthly data insights

Housing affordability revealed in updated Living Standards Index for London

The Living Standards Index for London has been refreshed with new data from councils across London showing the latest financial resilience of Londoners and the impact of the transition to Universal Credit. In addition, a brand new indicator of housing affordability has been added.

Our analysis on housing affordability found that 71% of low-income households who are renters pay more than 30% of their income on rent. This figure ranged from 55% in Tower Hamlets, to 88% in Enfield.

The borough differences are partially driven by the different types of rental in each borough. Residents who are private renters spend more of their income on rent than residents living in a socially rented property. Households in the private rented sector spend an average of 51% of their income on rent, compared to 32% in the socially rented sector. Much of this is due to the LHA rates in 2019, which were used in the current models. We hope to update our analysis to reflect the temporary increases to the LHA rate in April.

Explore the Living Standards Index for London

Better information means councils can target support to residents before problems happen

By pooling datasets councils in London are leading the way to understand more about poverty across a region. Our unique data-led research has found that working-age low-income Londoners have become more financially vulnerable and the drop in living standards meant many were not prepared for the financial impact of COVID-19.

Proactively identifying and targeting support to people who need help the most has never been more important. Thanks to further funding from Trust for London, councils in the capital can continue to learn more about financially vulnerable residents in London. Find out which London Boroughs are taking part and join our next phase of analysis here.

Outside of the capital, all councils across the UK can benefit from new Innovate UK funding secured by Policy in Practice to get real-time monthly data insights. These insights will help councils better understand what’s happening with the living standards in their local area, to target support where and when it’s most needed. Find out how to get real-time monthly updates here.

Data-led insights will help councils build the financial resilience of residents and model how future living standards will change. This information will go a very long way to helping councils avoid costs and residents in crisis.