- Councils to receive a further £1.2 million for digital
technology projects
- Work aims to improve public services and value for money
- Builds on £2.5 million already invested in local authority
projects through the Local Digital Fund
Six councils across England will receive a share
of £1.2 million of government funding to
spearhead innovative digital projects to improve public services.
Each council will receive a grant of up to
£350,000 to push forward existing projects that will
benefit residents by harnessing digital technology to create
smarter ways to deliver public services such as housing
repairs and the planning process.
These 6 councils will lead the projects while also
working in partnership with 14 other councils across the
country, bringing together expertise and sharing the
results.
This builds on £2.5 million already invested in local authority
projects through the Local Digital Fund. A total of 23 projects
have been funded since the Fund’s launch in 2018, all working to
improve the way councils deliver services for residents.
Local Government Minister said:
Digital technology has enormous potential to benefit society
and improve our lives in countless ways and
I am determined that councils harness its potential
too.
That is why I have announced £1.2 million for councils to
continue their work on truly innovative projects to improve
public services for people across the country.
Councils receiving funding in this round are:
-
Southwark Council will receive an
additional £350,000 to improve the planning
application system by developing better ways of
recording and using
information. The Council has developed a
prototype and will now test it with a small group
of users. They are working with Hackney
Council, the Greater London Authority, and Surrey Heath
Borough Council.
-
Lambeth Council will receive an
additional £350,000 to design
a system that can filter out incomplete or
invalid planning applications.
They have developed a prototype and will now test
it with users. They are working with
Wycombe District Council, Southwark Council, Lewisham
Council, and Camden Council.
-
The Royal Borough of
Greenwich will receive an
additional £50,000 to develop a better way for residents
to report housing repairs online. They have made a
prototype and will now test it with users.
They are working with the City of Lincoln
Council, Southwark Council, and South Kesteven District
Council.
-
Buckinghamshire County
Council will receive an
additional £250,000 to produce an online
directory of support services to make them easier to
find. They have developed a prototype and
will now test it with users. They are working
with Adur and Worthing Council, Croydon Council,
and Leeds City Council.
-
Croydon
Council will receive an
additional £100,000 to improve how computer code is
shared between councils to boost public
services. They will develop a prototype
and are working with Brighton and Hove City
Council, Bracknell Forest Council, and Oxford City Council.
-
Barnsley Metropolitan
Council will receive an additional
£100,000 to produce a new digital system to
manage council payments that is easier for
residents to use and saves
time. They will develop a
prototype and are working with Dorset
County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council.
These projects are part of a drive to improve council services
for residents in the future. Work is focused on bringing local
authorities together in their research, improving the way they
work together to develop tools to benefit everyone.
