Moving net zero from why to how: A guide to help officers in local authorities

How to have better net zero conversations

Throughout Innovate UK’s Net Zero Living Programme, local authority officers have consistently asked for help communicating the value of net zero. This guide takes a practical approach by equipping them with the advice, tools, and confidence they need to improve their stakeholder engagement.

It shows that conversations work better when net zero is positioned not as the end goal (the why), but as a way to improve the lives of local people through warmer homes, more predictable bills, healthier streets, and stronger local economies (the how).

The guide encourages people to rethink the role of story in their stakeholder engagement. By starting with the stories their stakeholders are already telling themselves, and by appreciating that values drive these attitudes and mindsets, local authority officers can more easily find points of connection – and ultimately drive the adoption of place-based innovation.

It offers three clear principles for shaping the “best, next conversation” with colleagues, wider partners, residents, and local businesses. These principles are:

• find what is important to people
• show how net zero innovation can help them
• use language that makes change easier to talk about

The guide blends advice and examples with practical tasks and frameworks. Appreciating the pressures local authority officers are under, the learning is clustered into three periods, depending on whether the next conversation is in one day, one week, or one month. It means officers can layer up their storytelling skills over time.

Ultimately, the guide is there to help local authority officers feel more confident in the conversations that make change happen. Equipped with a stronger story, they can build trust, reduce resistance, and help gather more support to create better local places.

Key findings

• The guide shows that place-based innovation is possible when net zero is presented as a route to unlock everyday benefits, not as the main goal.
• Practical exercises and frameworks like the Schwartz Values Map help local authority officers improve their stakeholder engagement and build a deeper understanding of the values driving local decision-making.
• By using a proven pattern for successful storytelling, clear language and real examples, officers can reduce perceived risk and build trust with their local communities and system partners.