Get involved in techUK’s Digital Place Week 2021!
techUK members and local government stakeholders are invited to contribute to techUK’s Digital Place week, that will be taking place from Tuesday 04 May – Friday 07 May 2021.
Digital Place week will coincide with the local government elections and provide an opportunity to showcase the best of local public service innovation and how digital has transformed our places and renewed civic engagement and local democracy.
Over the course of the pandemic technology has enabled the delivery of democracy at a local level. Virtual council meetings helped reinvigorate local democracy, with increases in public participation and a renewed sense of place. Technology has proven itself to be a facilitator of community mobilisation and support all across the country. We have seen more than 4,300 hyper-local mutual aid groups be overwhelmed with volunteers for example.
Each day during the week there will be a different topic with blog posts, tweets (#DigitalPlace) and case studies centred on each of those themes. This could be a thought leadership blog post (600-800 words), a case study or a video that demonstrates your view on this issue. Read the full contributor guidelines here. We’d like to invite you to contribute on one of the topics outlined below. If you wish to contribute to a different topic, we would be more than happy to explore this further with you.
Tuesday 04 May - Digital Leadership
The pandemic has been a catalyst of digital change for many councils and places. As councils plan for recovery and life post-pandemic, strong and empowered digital leadership will be vital in continuing to adapt and innovate. With the election of new metro mayors and elected officials what must they prioritise to deliver a truly digital city region and place?
Wednesday 05 May - Place-led innovations
Councils with the right digital infrastructure in place have been able to act as the broker and convener across the community, cutting across boundaries to solve common challenges and improve outcomes for the people and place. As place shapers, councils also have a critical role in leading a greener and inclusive recovery. What are the examples of place-led innovations? What technologies have enabled place-led working to become a reality? How do we overcome the obstacles, such as data sharing and governance, to realise the full potential of place-led working for citizens?
Thursday 06 May - Digital Democracy
Virtual council meetings helped reinvigorate local democracy, with increases in public participation and a renewed sense of place. This day will showcase case studies as well as what the potential for the future of council meetings could look like. There will also be the opportunity to use the content to inform the government’s recent Local Authority Remote Meetings - Call for Evidence.
Friday 07 May - Civic Engagement and Citizen Centric Tech
This last year we have seen a renewed sense of community with digital playing a key role in connecting and signposting volunteers to support the most vulnerable and those shielding. How can digital be utilized post-pandemic to design services that put citizens first and empowers citizens to solve challenges in their communities?
If you would like to contribute a guest blog to the #DigitalPlace week please get in touch with Georgina.maratheftis@techUK with your expression of interest on the topic you’d like to contribute to by Friday 16 April. Guest blogs will need to be submitted by Wednesday 28 April.
Georgina Maratheftis
Georgina is techUK’s Associate Director for Local Public Services
Ileana Lupsa
Ileana Lupsa is the Programme Manager for Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, at techUK.
Tracy Modha
Tracy supports several areas at techUK, including Cyber Exchange, Cyber Security, Defence, Health and Social Care, Local Public Services, Nations and Regions and National Security.
