Talking 5 with Local Public Services Member Emma Foy

Each month, techUK's Associate Director for Local Public Services, Georgina Maratheftis, interviews a member active in the local government space about their vision for the future of local public services and where digital can make a real difference to people and society. This month we talk to Emma Foy, Local Government Lead at TechnologyOne, about community-led digital transformation and stronger technology partnerships. 

Welcome Emma. Firstly, tell me more about you, your career and how you got to this position today? 

I started my career working in external audit with Big Four professional services firms. A chance temporary part-time secondment in 2009 introduced me to Local Government Finance, and what was initially intended to be a three month placement was extended for almost two years. I then took up my first permanent S151 role at Maldon District Council. 

Over the following 15 years, I held a variety of senior Local Government Finance and Resources roles developing a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing councils. Today, I am Industry Lead at TechnologyOne, where I advise on functionality, go-to-market strategy and technical requirements of our products. I also lead the social value delivery programme at TechnologyOne which is definitely the most fulfilling part of my role. 

What is the greatest opportunity for local government when it comes to digital? 

Local Government doesn’t always recognise the strength, value and influence it has as a customer to shape what technology looks like, how it is delivered and the value it provides. For years, Local Government has been told it is light years behind the private sector, but that isn’t always true.  

Suppliers need Local Government’s custom much more than Local Government often realises, and there is a huge opportunity for organisations to shape products, pricing and delivery models in ways that benefit residents and communities. Contracts can be true partnerships with strong social value commitments that deliver tangible benefits for our communities. Digital innovation should always have the community at its heart. 

I want to see local public services made simpler for our communities. I want to bring communities into the co-design of services, rather than decisions being made by consultants and technology companies with little connection to what people and communities really need. I hope Local Government reorganisation can help move us beyond services designed and constrained by existing organisational boundaries, allowing us to think about people and place in a new way. 

We have a real opportunity to move beyond fragmented systems and processes, and Local Government should be brave in it what it demands from suppliers, with outcomes and value for money at the heart of every decision.