Talking 5 with Local Public Services Member Ayup Digital
This month's Talking 5 guest is Steven Taylor, Managing Director at Ayup Digital
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 with Steven Taylor, Managing Director at Ayup Digital.
Welcome, Steven! First up, tell us a bit about yourself—your career journey and how you got here.
I’m one of the co-founders of Ayup Digital, a Leeds-based digital consultancy focused on tech for good. My background spans creative digital, user-centred design, and public sector transformation. Before launching Ayup, I co-founded Raw Design Studio in 2007, where I worked on projects for big names like the Premier League, England & Wales Cricket Board, Wolves FC, Liverpool FC, and BBC Philharmonic.
My business partner, Mike Stephens, and I launched Ayup in 2015 where we wanted to focus on something more meaningful - helping organisations use digital to make a real impact. Over the years, we’ve worked with NHS teams, academic institutions, local authorities, and VCSEs of all sizes. We’re particularly experienced in digital signposting and making community service data work better for local government and health systems.
Lately, we’ve been focused on growing Ayup Connect, our platform designed to help councils and health services build interoperable, community-driven directories. It’s already live across multiple local authorities, and with new interactive digital screens for community spaces on the way, we’re scaling things up even further.
I’m passionate about open, collaborative approaches to digital transformation -using tech in a way that genuinely improves lives, strengthens communities, and makes services easier to access.
What’s the biggest opportunity for local government when it comes to digital?
One of the biggest opportunities is creating properly joined-up, user-centred services that make life easier for residents, communities, and frontline professionals. Too often, digital transformation can focus on fixing individual departments and systems rather than looking at the bigger picture - how people actually find and discover services and support.
If councils prioritise interoperability, structured data, and open standards like Open Referral UK, they can unlock the full potential of their local community ecosystems. That means services can work seamlessly together across health, social care, and community support.
Platforms like Ayup Connect show how digital can help bridge the gaps, making it easier for people to find the right support at the right time while reducing pressure on overstretched frontline teams. Investing in inclusive digital solutions, like community-driven directories, self-service tools, and public access points, means councils can drive efficiency, promote early intervention, and support those who struggle with digital access.
But it’s not just about the tech - it’s also about changing culture and ways of working. Open, collaborative digital approaches can break down silos and make services more responsive, cost-effective, and impactful. When local government truly embraces digital with a user-first mindset, it has the power to build stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities.
What’s your vision for the future of local public services and places?
The future of local public services should be connected, personalised, and community-driven. People shouldn’t have to jump through bureaucratic hoops to find support. Services should be designed around their real-world experiences. I see a future where digital and physical spaces work together, ensuring everyone, especially those who are digitally excluded, can access the help they need.
Technology should enhance, not replace, human connections. Ayup Connect already shows how structured, open data can improve service discovery and referrals. Taking this further, through interactive digital screens in public spaces, better integration with health and care systems, and AI-powered personalisation, would make accessing support even easier.
Local government also has the opportunity to move beyond traditional service delivery models and focus on co-designing solutions with communities. By investing in digital inclusion, interoperable systems, and participatory approaches, councils can help create places where people have more control and ownership over their own wellbeing.
Ultimately, the future is about shifting from siloed institutions to truly connected, resilient, and empowered communities. Digital is the enabler, but people and place must always come first.
Local Public Services Programme activities
Our Local Public Services Programme helps techUK members to navigate local government. We champion innovation that can create truly digital local public services helping to create thriving, productive and safer places for all. Visit the programme page here
Regional perspectives on local Net Zero through tech (Birmingham)
Join us in Birmingham for a dynamic and insightful session exploring how climate planning is evolving in devolved regions, with a spotlight on the West Midlands.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Georgina is techUK’s Associate Director for Local Public Services
Georgina works with suppliers that are active or looking to break into the market as well as with local public services to create the conditions for meaningful transformation. techUK regularly bring together local public services and supplier community to horizon scan and explore how the technologies of today and tomorrow can help solve some of the most pressing problems our communities face and improve outcomes for our people and places.
Prior to techUK, Georgina worked for a public policy events company where she managed the policy briefing division and was responsible for generating new ideas for events that would add value to the public sector. Georgina worked across a number of portfolios from education, criminal justice, and health but had a particular interest in public sector transformation and technology. Georgina also led on developing relationships across central and local government.
If you’d like to learn more about techUK, or want to get involved, get in touch.
Programme Manager – Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, techUK
Luke Newcombe
Programme Manager – Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, techUK
Luke joined techUK in September 2025 as a Programme Manager for Local Public Services and Nations and Regions.
Luke works closely with members and stakeholders across industry and government at local, regional and national levels to support collaboration, drive innovation and strengthen tech-enabled public services. His work supports the development of strong local and regional tech economies by helping organisations to engage with public sector challenges, explore emerging technologies and build impactful partnerships.
Prior to joining techUK, Luke worked at Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government’s export development agency. He began by advising SMEs on export strategy to the UK and later focused on connecting Irish businesses with multinational organisations to foster strategic partnerships, drive international growth and support economic development.
Luke holds an MSc in Political Economy from the University of Amsterdam and a BA in European Studies from Trinity College Dublin.
Programme Team Assistant for Public Sector Markets, techUK
Francesca Richiusa
Programme Team Assistant for Public Sector Markets, techUK
Fran serves as the Programme Team Assistant within techUK’s Public Sector Market Programmes, where she is responsible for delivering comprehensive team support, managing administrative functions, and fostering strong relationships with members.
Prior to joining techUK in May 2025, Fran built a meaningful career in the charitable and local government sectors. She worked extensively with both victims and perpetrators of crime, and notably led the coordination of Domestic Homicide Reviews across Surrey—an initiative aimed at identifying lessons and preventing future incidents of domestic abuse.
Outside of work, Fran is an avid traveller and a proud cat mum who enjoys unwinding with her feline companions.