Nesta has published a report that examines on a global scale the process of decommissioning public services and concludes that more creative solutions are needed.

The Art of Exit report addresses the "dominant perception" that decommissioning is a cost-cutting exercise. Nesta argues that the decommissioning process can be a positive move that inspires innovation, and that “vital opportunities” are often missed because of this viewpoint.

The report uses eight worldwide case studies to demonstrate how imaginative decommissioning can result in affirmative action.

One such case is from the London borough of Tower Hamlets, where underused libraries are being closed and  ‘Idea Stores’ opened in their place. Branded as "a reinvention of what a modern library could be", these combine the traditional book-lending service with adult learning, after-school activities for children, local information, a café, health services and other cultural activities – all in one location. Despite a reduction in the number of libraries, the replacement Idea Stores are being used more intensely, with a rise in visits from circa 500,000 to two million a year since their introduction.

Other examples of such 'creative decommissioning' the report chronicles include: 

• Glasgow city council is closing all its large hostels for homeless men which have been deemed unproductive, and will redirect the funds towards measures to actually prevent homelessness.
• Poland converted some of its 4,000 closed primary schools into new lower secondary schools to provide children with an additional year of general secondary education and consequently increased the country’s rank in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment.
• New York State closed 18 youth justice centres following evidence of abuse, and channelled the resources this freed up into a community-based model of restorative justice. Incarceration rates halved.

The Art of Exit’s research is based on a quantitative survey of more than 200 public leaders on current drivers and approaches to decommissioning. Over 60 cases of decommissioning in public services were examined, and Nesta conducted interviews with key stakeholders from local government and health organisations and other informants. The project combined both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

“This research report confronts a more disruptive side to public services innovation – how to shut down or decommission what is already in place,” commented Nesta.  

“Significant and sustained reductions in public spending mean that the landscape for public services is changing rapidly, so consequently those who design and deliver these services need to become more adept at innovate and creative decommissioning – taking resources out of less effective approaches in order to reinvest elsewhere.

“The report presents a new model for truly transformational public innovation and includes lessons for practitioners and policymakers on how to navigate this difficult and contentious space.”

The Art of Exit can be found here.