Speaking at the LocalGovCamp event in Birmingham,
Minister Sunak invited applications from local
authorities to change the way they invest in
technology, share expertise and ensure members of the
public receive the best quality digital services from
their local council.
Grants of up to £100,000 will be available for projects
which demonstrate they benefit local public services
and have the potential to be rolled out more widely
across the country.
Local Government Minister, , said:
Digital innovation is re-shaping our lives, and many
local authorities are at the forefront of embracing
technology in ingenious ways to improve services for
the public.
Whether it’s an app to report fly-tipping, or a slick
web solution to pay your council tax, we want to know
the best ideas so we can help to make them happen.
I would also like to encourage councils to sign up to
our Local Digital Declaration, so we can all support
each other and build on each other’s work to
revolutionise public services.
The fund will also be used to provide digital skills
training for at least 1,000 staff working on digital
solutions at councils.
The fund’s opening comes after the government made a
“digital pledge” backed by the £7.5 million of
government funding with the launch of a Local Digital
Declaration in July. The declaration aims to connect
the work of local government digital teams to deliver
better local public services.
Alongside this, the Ministry of Housing, Communities
and Local Government established a new team to work
with councils to help them deliver on their declaration
commitments.
Local authorities can apply and find out more
information at localdigital.gov.uk/fund
Local authorities and central government departments in
England are eligible to submit an expression of
interest, whether individually or in partnership with
other local authorities. All bids will need to
demonstrate input from at least two local authorities.
The bidding is not open to non-public sector
organisations. However, there are no restrictions on
winning bids to commission a private company to help
deliver the project.
The deadline to submit an expression of interest is 5
October 2018. A decision on which projects have been
chosen is expected to be announced by 3 December.
