I'm with you there - mass daily testing (even if it isn't of "gold standard" PCR quality) can be a gamechanger and feels closer in technical terms than a safe, proven vaccine, though it isn't getting the investment. The only worry I'd have is that a -ve test might change people's behaviour - a free no social-distancing pass for the night. Still better than no test though.
In terms of non-technical solutions, promoting honesty would be a start. It's horrible but we need to admit that when the students come home at Christmas, they need to quarantine before meeting granny (or even worse, meeting grand-dad) and if they can't do it, they need to be able to admit it and sit at the other end of the room by an open window. People need to start doing the grim calculation that "if I'm going to help them move house next Friday I need to stay away from the pub/gym/doctors etc for the week before."
Meanwhile though, I think the psychological message given by, "You can meet people as long as you're spending money," is making some people look for loopholes in rules rather than look at the reasoning behind the rules.
I'll also throw in an unfair observation. The north/south and rich/poor divides are rather too obvious in the "local lockdown" game - and there's going to be resentment from that. I honestly don't know the way out of this one. If I was in a low rate area, I'd want to keep the baddies out. However, there's a real danger in where we are in England now. People will accept a rule that applies nationally, "we're all in it together", more easily than one that doesn't apply a couple of miles down the road. Action against commercial premises (factories, sports clubs, pubs etc with outbreak) can be specific, and will be well accepted. The other stuff? I think it's not got the kind of mass acceptance that it needs, and that's why the rates have continued to rise despite the local rules - in fact I'd say (based on what I'm being told by family/friends) mask wearing etc has got worse rather than better in those local measures areas. A kind of covid fatigue.