The Government Digital Service (GDS) has indicated it is planning to provide support for local and regional authorities in working with its products and the technology industry to develop new solutions.
It is also planning to share examples of digital innovation in local government.
The move marks a significant extension of GDS’s role, which has previously been focused on supporting central government.
It also reflects a key element of the ‘Blueprint for modern digital government’, which was published last week and includes commitments for GDS to work more closely with other parts of the public sector, including local government.
A spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, within which GDS works, said: “Local councils deliver fundamental services that are essential to our daily lives and the success of our Plan for Change. But for too long, they have been left to fend for themselves when it comes to building and using digital technology. As the digital centre of government, our department is changing this.
“We are looking at how we can share some of the brilliant examples of innovation taking place in local authorities across the wider country and use the tools we have to help tackle the challenges they face – whether it’s in negotiating contracts, using products we have across central government or sharing our experience in data and AI.”
London CDO role
Full details of the project are yet be made public, but London’s chief digital officer Theo Blackwell has indicated that he will be involved in the effort.
In a post on LinkedIn he said that over the next few months he will be working at GDS on a review to scope what the support will look like and how the service can support innovation at the local level.
GDS has emerged as the central body in the initiative to build a ‘digital centre of government’ based in DSIT.
