Neil Gibson - What I've learned leading the Live Labs 2 programme
Live Labs 2 is a three-year, £30 million, UK-wide programme funded by the Department for Transport that will run until March 2026, with a five-year subsequent, extended monitoring and evaluation period. Seven projects, grouped by four interconnected themes, are being led by local highway authorities working alongside commercial and academic partners.
In this final year of Live Labs 2 delivery stage, I have been given the opportunity to reflect on what has made this programme so different and so positive.
Live Labs 2 is not a typical government initiative. It didn’t begin life as a mandate from Whitehall or a well-crafted pitch from a consultancy firm. This idea was built from the ground up by local highway authorities (LHAs), practitioners, academics and sector stakeholders who knew that change was needed and had ideas about how to achieve something better.
As Chair of the Live Labs 2 Commissioning Board, I’ve had the privilege of guiding a diverse and committed team through this journey. Although these reflections are my own, they are borne from observing and supporting a large team of inspired and inspiring individuals. Each with an incredible skillset and the ability to think beyond the status quo to solutions that will benefit our highways network for generations to come.
1. Innovation starts from the bottom-up and that’s why Live Labs 2 works
This initiative didn’t come from central government. It was created at the grassroots level, by the sector, for the sector. The Live Labs model has always been about building solutions from operational need.
That’s why we are seeing ideas, data and results that work. There’s an authenticity and trust that comes when peers and co-stakeholders are leading the change. When a fellow LHA shares a methodology or a trial outcome, it resonates more deeply than a consultant’s pitch or a central mandate. This has been by far one of our most powerful advantages.
In East Riding, for instance, residents from neighbouring areas have been requesting the lighting infrastructure solutions they’ve seen deployed nearby. That’s not something that can be forced from above, it is earned on the ground with clear and proven results.
We are seeing the same ripple effects in the areas where other projects are trialling innovative materials usage resulting from the exceptional work done by the Centres of Excellence, Liverpool and Wessex project teams.
Behavioural change is hard, but the best results begin with local ownership.
2. Clear governance is our major strength
We learned important lessons from the Live Labs 1 programme and made changes to improve the way we approached governance in Live Labs 2.
Our model links the Commissioning Board, the programme leadership team, the projects themselves and specialist advisors into a joined-up and supportive community. Those contributors and specialisms include M&E guidance from ARUP, behavioural insights from BIT, technical support from the WSP team, and communication leadership through Coast Communications.
Crucially, our governance structure works both horizontally and vertically. Across the Live Labs 2 teams for knowledge exchange, and from board to project for strategic alignment.
The board itself includes around twenty individuals drawn from public, private, academic and central government sectors. These are not just names on paper for the purposes of looking and sounding good, they bring lived experience, valuable networking and intellectual firepower. They challenge assumptions, ask tough questions and most importantly they care deeply about the future of highways in this country.
What was clear from the outset was that if this programme was poorly run, those ‘sector big hitters’ would simply walk away. Their continued support is a testament to the strength of what we have been able to establish and achieve.
3. Carbon baselining is unlikely to ever be perfect, but it can be clear and reliable
You can’t lead on reducing carbon emissions in highway maintenance and construction without knowing where you are starting from. That’s why a key aspect of Live Labs 2 has been developing a consistent and robust carbon baselining methodology. It’s not headline making or sprinkled with attention-grabbing pixie dust but it has been one of the most valuable and impactful pieces of work that we’ve been able to offer for the benefit of others across the sector.
We have co-developed our carbon baselining methodology with the Future Highways Research Group and our academic partner Proving Services. It’s not perfect but honestly, what method ever is? However, it is accessible, trusted, increasingly widely adopted and it’s sector-owned, which is vital.
It’s also free. This is a methodology that has not been sold to the sector, it has been devised by stakeholders and partners within the sector. As a result, it has legs and thanks to DfT support, it is being embedded through the new ADEPT Carbon Leadership Programme.
To use the rather ‘vintage’ example of VHS over Betamax, we think this approach will win out through trust and usability. We don’t need to define a national standard right this minute, we just need something good which is consistent and that those in the driving seat feel confident using.
4. The early benefits are real
While formal evaluation will take time, we are already seeing meaningful outcomes across the Live Labs 2 projects.
From Greenprint’s circular economy pilot and trials in the Centres of Excellence, to low-carbon materials and lighting redesigns, benefits are beginning to emerge. We are also hearing from communities who have seen the results in situ and want these innovations where they live and work and that’s the ‘litmus’ test.
5. Longitudinal M&E is essential but often overlooked
A critical early decision was to secure a post-project tail of monitoring and evaluation, even though the Live Labs 2 delivery period spans just three years. This was because we knew from the outset that outcomes would not emerge overnight and that behaviour change takes time.
Working with ARUP across the Commissioning Board’s oversight and the projects’ outputs ensures a consistent, high-quality evidence base. It also means we can tell the story of the emerging impacts as they evolve.
6. Behaviour change is complex, but it can be done
Changing the behaviours of councils, suppliers, communities and government departments is not simple - if we are completely honest, it is never likely to be so.
This is why we brought in the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) to explore what approaches might actually work.
Their recommendations have been invaluable and include a range of solutions from embedding carbon thinking in procurement to rethinking short-term funding cycles. We have also launched a sector decarbonisation pledge, a simple commitment to join a network of like-minded organisations seeking to reduce carbon in highways.
We are seeing that behavioural shift starting, not because we have finger wagged and lectured people, but because the data and peer experience make the case for change better than any command from on-high.
7. The acid test? Reducing carbon impact on our local highways
Ultimately, this programme has one core aim to reduce the carbon impact of how we design, construct, maintain and manage local highways.
Early data and results suggest that we are on the right path. We’re not relying on any one solution to move the dial alone. This is a multi-pronged approach from public engagement and SME support to national funding reform and supplier innovation, and it only really happens if it all works together.
That is what Live Labs 2 is trying to enable and what I have learned from leading the programme as Chair of the Commissioning Board. It’s not just about decarbonisation; it is about creating a credible and scalable model for innovation in local infrastructure that delivers positive outcomes.
If we can achieve that, we can transform UK highways creating a beacon approach for other countries to aspire to.
Further information
- For more information on ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK, please look at the Live Labs 2 section on the website
- You can find further information on the Decarbonisation of Highways Pledge here and the launch event at Westminster here
Author
- Neil Gibson is Chair of the Live Labs 2 Commissioning Board
