Local variations in implementing energy-efficiency policy: how third sector organisations influenced cities’ responses to the Green Deal

Author(s):  
Rebecca Ince

Between 2011 and 2016 – the Green Deal era - the UK government encouraged owner occupied households to retrofit their properties, to improve energy efficiency and contribute to reducing carbon emissions, improving energy security and boosting economic development. The ‘Green Deal’ (a finance mechanism and accreditation scheme) the Energy Companies Obligation (a legal requirement for energy companies to fund energy efficiency) and a growing localism agenda were the dominant policies of the era. The Green Deal was implemented through a process of socio-technical experimentation by local coalitions of actors including local authorities, third sector organisations and private sector companies. This chapter investigates place-based variations in responding to Green Deal policy using three case studies in Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester, and explores the particular contribution that third sector organisations made to each response. These reflections are relevant not only for energy policy but also for other fields delivering policy through localised networks, with often contested interests and priorities.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarissa Giebel ◽  
Kerry Hanna ◽  
Manoj Rajagopal ◽  
Aravind Komuravelli ◽  
Jacqueline Cannon ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sudden public health restrictions can be difficult to comprehend for people with cognitive deficits. However, these are even more important for them to adhere to due to their increased levels of vulnerability, particularly to COVID-19. With a lack of previous evidence, we explored the understanding and changes in adherence to COVID-19 public health restrictions over time in people living with dementia (PLWD). Methods Unpaid carers and PLWD were interviewed over the phone in April 2020, shortly after the nationwide UK lockdown, with a proportion followed up from 24th June to 10th July. Participants were recruited via social care and third sector organisations across the UK, and via social media. Findings A total of 70 interviews (50 baseline, 20 follow-up) were completed with unpaid carers and PLWD. Five themes emerged: Confusion and limited comprehension; Frustration and burden; Putting oneself in danger; Adherence to restrictions in wider society; (Un) changed perceptions. Most carers reported limited to no understanding of the public health measures in PLWD, causing distress and frustration for both the carer and the PLWD. Due to the lack of understanding, some PLWD put themselves in dangerous situations without adhering to the restrictions. PLWD with cognitive capacity who participated understood the measures and adhered to these. Discussion In light of the new second wave of the pandemic, public health measures need to be simpler for PLWD to avoid unwilful non-adherence. Society also needs to be more adaptive to the needs of people with cognitive disabilities more widely, as blanket rules cause distress to the lives of those affected by dementia.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1235
Author(s):  
Luke Waterman ◽  
Mónica Rivas Casado ◽  
Emma Bergin ◽  
Gary McInally

With increases in average temperature and rainfall predicted, more households are expected to be at risk of flooding in the UK by 2050. Data and technologies are increasingly playing a critical role across public-, private- and third-sector organisations. However, barriers and constraints exist across organisations and industries that limit the sharing of data. We examine the international context for data sharing and variations between data-rich and data-sparse countries. We find that local politics and organisational structures influence data sharing. We focus on the case study of the UK, and on geospatial and flood resilience data in particular. We use a series of semi-structured interviews to evaluate data sharing limitations, with particular reference to geospatial and flood resilience data. We identify barriers and constraints when sharing data between organisations. We find technological, security, privacy, cultural and commercial barriers across different use cases and data points. Finally, we provide three long-term recommendations to improve the overall accessibility to flood data and enhance outcomes for organisations and communities.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. e030739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faraz Ahmed ◽  
Hazel Morbey ◽  
Andrew Harding ◽  
David Reeves ◽  
Caroline Swarbrick ◽  
...  

IntroductionAround 70% of acute hospital beds in the UK are occupied by older people, approximately 40% of whom have dementia. Improving the quality of care in hospitals is a key priority within national dementia strategies. Limited research has been conducted to evaluate dementia training packages for staff, and evaluation of training often focuses on immediate, on-the-day training feedback and effects.ObjectivesOur study aims to answer two research questions: (1) How do variations in content, implementation and intensity of staff dementia training in acute hospitals in England relate to health service outcome/process measures and staff outcomes? and (2) What components of staff dementia training are most strongly related to improved patient and staff outcomes?Methods and analysisUsing the principles of programme theory, a mixed-method study will be used to identify mechanisms and the interactions between them, as well as facilitators and barriers to dementia training in hospitals. We will use existing data, such as Hospital Episode Statistics, alongside two surveys (at hospital and staff level).We will recruit up to 193 acute hospitals in England to participate in the hospital level survey. We aim to recruit up to 30 staff members per hospital, from a random sample of 24 hospitals. In addition, we will explore the cost-effectiveness of dementia training packages and carry out an in-depth case study of up to six hospitals.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been reviewed and approved by the Faculty of Health and Medicine Research Ethics Committee (FHMREC 17056) and Health Research Authority (Integrated Research Approval System (IRAS) ID 242166: REC reference 18/HRA/1198). We plan to develop both standard (eg, academic publications, presentations at conferences) and innovative (eg, citizen scientist web portals, online fora, links with hospitals and third sector organisations) means of ensuring the study findings are accessible and disseminated regionally, nationally and internationally.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Fitzgibbon ◽  
John Lea

The current debate about the privatisation of probation in the UK has tended to set up a false dichotomy between state and private that diverts attention from the fact that privatisation as part of a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ intends, in fact, to continue the domination of the risk management approach. What is emerging is a public–private combination of increasingly centralised public sector probation and the private ‘security-industrial complex’ of global security corporations. An important consequence of this process is the annihilation of both residual elements of voluntary sector and community work within probation itself and of the smaller private charities and third sector organisations that have long collaborated with probation in traditional desistance work. This complex dynamic is a reflection of some of the key internal inconsistencies of neoliberalism as a political strategy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMES REES ◽  
ROBIN MILLER ◽  
HEATHER BUCKINGHAM

AbstractThe concept of commissioning has risen in prominence in recent years as a result of ongoing reforms to the funding and delivery of public services in the UK. The model of commissioning constructed by policy has however been overlaid on existing practices, which themselves differ between different service areas. This paper, focusing on commissioning of third sector organisations (TSOs) in the field of community mental health services, shows that its introduction has not led to the straightforward public sector ‘marketisation’ that advocates desire or that critics fear. Instead, commissioning has led to an indeterminate outcome or ‘halfway house’ position in which the status and role of commissioning remains somewhat muddled – both internally to participants within public sector organisations and externally in terms of the experience of the interface by TSOs. We found that commissioning as it is actually practiced remains contested and political – it is a highly relational process dependent on personal practices and skills and on personal relationships between stakeholders – and is therefore not fully managerialised or marketised. This has implications for the policy and practice of commissioning and the interpretation of more ‘open’ public services.


Author(s):  
M. J. Kelly

Just under half of all energy consumption in the UK today takes place indoors, and over a quarter within our homes. The challenges associated with energy security, climate change and sustainable consumption will be overcome or lost in our existing buildings. A background analysis, and the scale of the engineering challenge for the next three to four decades, is described in this paper.


Subject UK government energy efficiency initiative Significance The government had previously cooled towards environmental protection measures, but it has now introduced rules that oblige landlords to improve energy efficiency in the rented buildings sector. The initiative comes as household energy bills remain high, despite recent reductions in energy prices, and the political salience of energy affordability has risen. Fuel poverty and the potential of improved energy efficiency to mitigate it are issues across much of the EU. Impacts The government's initiative may encounter implementation difficulties, particularly if the new rules are not given a high public profile. High retail energy prices will keep energy affordability as a politically salient issue, in the UK and EU. The current slump in international oil prices has yet to feed fully into sustained reductions in retail gas and electricity prices. A drop in retail energy prices could blunt the momentum behind policies to improve energy efficiency, and revive energy demand.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
CHING-CHI HSU ◽  
FENGSHENG CHIEN ◽  
QUANG-THANH NGO ◽  
TIEN-DUNG NGUYEN ◽  
HIEU MINH VU ◽  
...  

The objective of this study is to measure the energy efficiency and energy security by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and an econometric estimation such as ordinary least square method (OLS) to measure the relationship between energy efficiency, energy security and economic development with macro-economic indicators such as energy consumption, economic growth, and environmental degradation factors by using the data from 1976 to 2016 while the energy efficiency has been measured during the period of 2010 to 2018. Results show that Brazil and Russia are countries with less energy for these consecutive years. This work contributes to the existing literature on eco-friendly and sustainable policy design in BRICS countries based on multiple indicators. The analysis also indicates that the quality of a country’s laws and regulations are essential for expanding research on renewable energy because the right policy tools serve as the basis for the transition. It is also found that Brazil, Russia, and South Africa have the best score in terms of energy and economic development while China and India are among the lowest performing countries in clean energy. Energy efficiency results show that china has the highest score of 1 while India and South Africa energy score is about 0.623 and 0.64 respectively. This serves as a panacea to study the country’s energy insecurity and bridge the gap in the literature. As the renewable energy industry is considered a high-risk area, it is necessary to develop essential aversion tools for financial policy risks to attract private capital.


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