Talking 5 with Local Public Services Member BetterGov

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 Dia Nag, Director of Digital, BetterGov, about reimagining local public services and creating more connected places.

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

It’s been a fascinating journey of over 23 years-challenging, full of learning, and immensely rewarding. I started in book publishing at Macmillan, working on the UNICEF programme, before moving into journalism-first in print, then digital with The Times of India, India Today, Cricinfo, and ibibo.com. Digital drew me in for its energy, creativity, and the chance to make real change through technology.

When I moved to the UK in 2008, I was determined to find the right opportunity on my terms. Within two months, I joined Rank Digital. Over eight years, I grew through multiple roles, delivering innovative products and services and learning how to translate ideas into impact.

A long-standing interest in public service led me to the Parliamentary Digital Service in 2016, then the Government Digital Service, and later the Cabinet Office. A proud milestone was establishing the Digital Directorate in 2019, a team that has since transformed how services are delivered across the civil service.

Today, as Director Digital at BetterGov, I work alongside leaders and practitioners to design and deliver change with citizens at the heart. My work brings together strategy, digital, and organisational transformation, ensuring technology serves people-not the other way around.

Along the way, my contributions have been recognised in the Government Transformation 100 Digital Leaders list, the NetZero 50, and through the Women’s Network of the Year award, reflecting my role as founder and chair of the Cabinet Office Women in Digital network.

At every stage, my journey has been about connecting people, policy, and technology and making a tangible difference for communities and citizens.

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

The greatest opportunity for local government lies in using digital to reimagine how services are designed and delivered around people’s real lives. Councils are uniquely close to their communities, which gives them both the insight and the responsibility to lead change.

I’ve written in my blog From Siloes to Service about the importance of breaking down barriers between local and central government. The opportunity now is to leverage strengths from both: local government’s deep understanding of communities, combined with central government’s scale, standards, and investment. Digital is the bridge that enables these shifting services from fragmented and transactional to joined-up, preventative, and user-centred.

This isn’t just about technology, but about using data to anticipate needs, designing services that are inclusive by default, and freeing staff to focus on what matters most. Whether through better data sharing, predictive analytics, or digital platforms that empower self-service, the potential is to move from firefighting demand to preventing need.

For me, the real opportunity is about building trust and resilience. If digital is harnessed well, local government can deliver services that feel simple, fair, and responsive and in doing so, create stronger and more connected places.

What is your vision for the future of local public services and places?

I see a future where local public services are seamlessly integrated into people’s everyday lives personalised, preventative, and place based. Digital will be the foundation that enables services to work across organisational boundaries, connecting health, social care, housing, education, and more so that citizens experience simplicity, not complexity.

But the real change will come through collaboration and reuse. Central and local government should work hand-in-hand, sharing learning, platforms, and standards so that good practice scales quickly, and resources are used where they make the biggest difference. This is about creating a system where solutions are not built in isolation, but openly shared, adapted, and improved across places.

But technology alone is not the vision. The future is about creating thriving, resilient communities where services are shaped by local needs and designed with people, not just for them. That means ensuring digital inclusion, so no one is left behind, and equipping staff with the tools and insights they need to focus on human connection and outcomes.

My hope is that services will feel intuitive and accessible, regardless of the systems behind them, and that collaboration across local and national partners becomes the norm. Success won’t be measured by the technology itself, but by healthier, fairer, and more connected places where citizens feel supported and empowered.

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