Talking 5 with local public services member Salesforce

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 Gurdip Sodhi, Local Government Lead at Salesforce, about how data can move from insight to everyday decision-making in local public services.

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

Over the last decade, my career has focused on working alongside public sector organisations, particularly local government and policing, helping them use data and technology to improve services and outcomes for citizens. I’ve spent much of that time close to operational teams, transformation leaders, and senior officers, which has shaped how I think about digital change, not as a technology challenge, but as an organisational one.

In my current role as Local Government Lead at Salesforce, I work with councils across the UK at very different stages of maturity. Some are just beginning their data journey, others are further along, but almost all are grappling with the same pressures, financial constraint, rising demand, workforce change, and now local government reorganisation.

Alongside this role, I set myself a challenge over the past six months to write regularly about what I was seeing and hearing on the ground. Those conversations have reinforced one thing for me, progress doesn’t come from tools alone, it comes from how insight is embedded into everyday decisions. That’s the lens I bring to everything I do.

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

The greatest opportunity for local government isn’t simply digitising services faster; it’s using digital and data to make better decisions earlier. Councils are collecting more data than ever, but the real value comes when that insight actively shapes prioritisation, intervention, and resource allocation across services.

What I’m increasingly seeing is a shift away from asking “can we see the problem?” toward “what should we do differently because we can see it?”. That’s a powerful change. When digital is used to support prevention, rather than just reporting, it helps councils intervene earlier, reduce avoidable demand, and improve outcomes for citizens.

Digital also has a critical role to play in resilience, particularly through periods of change such as LGR. When insight is embedded into everyday decision-making, rather than sitting with individuals or in standalone projects, it survives organisational change. That’s where digital becomes a strategic asset, not just an operational tool.

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

My vision for local public services is one where data is no longer something organisations “do”, but something they rely on instinctively. In that future, insight is embedded into daily, weekly, and strategic decisions, not reserved for performance reports or transformation programmes.

This matters even more as councils go through reorganisation. Structures will change, roles will change, but services still need to operate from day one. The councils that navigate this well will be those where decision-making doesn’t depend on individual heroes, but on shared data, clear thresholds, and repeatable processes.

Ultimately, the goal isn’t smarter dashboards, it’s more confident decisions. Decisions that are fairer, faster, and more transparent, and that stand up to political and public scrutiny. When data supports that kind of decision-making, it helps rebuild trust, not just internally within organisations, but with the communities they serve.

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