The Local Government Association (LGA) has launched a new digitalisation framework.
The mission-driven framework aims to drive up efficiency, improve public services and connect residents.
The new framework builds on the LGA's recent Local Government White Paper priority for driving change through innovation and freedom from bureaucracy and is designed to support councils in using the latest digital technology to help solve some of the biggest challenges facing their communities.
The release comes just after it was announced that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will expand in both scope and size.
The framework includes three missions, six common enablers and six good practice principles.
The three missions cover digitally-enabled councils that utilise digital technology and data to transform the ways they deliver for residents; digitally-empowered residents who can thrive through digital skills, tools and opportunities; and digitally-equipped places that are underpinned by secure and sustainable digital connectivity and infrastructure.
The six enablers are data, connectivity, leadership, capabilities, collaboration and value. They are designed to offer a roadmap for navigating the complexities of a digital age.
Finally, the six good practice principles include democratic, ethical, inclusive, sustainable, cyber resilient and user-centric and are intended to democratic, ethical, inclusive, sustainable, cyber resilient and user-centric.
Cllr Alex Coley, Deputy Chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, said:
“Councils are constantly innovating to develop new solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing residents and their communities, but too often these face hurdles or extra costs.
“The digital transformation of an entire sector is a collective endeavour which relies on a shared vision, an inclusive approach and commitment to innovation.
“The LGA’s framework for securing the digital future of local government sets a clear direction for a long and complex journey. We know the rewards of digitalisation can be immense but depend on the sector’s ability to shape its own destiny and navigate the digital landscape as an active participant.
“These missions are a declaration of intent and a tangible commitment to taking bold collective action on digitalisation to deliver services more efficiently, engage more effectively and create thriving communities well-equipped for the 21st century.”
