Unlocking digital transformation across councils: insights from techUK’s workshop with GDS Local
What is GDS Local and why it matters
GDS Local, announced in November, is a new specialist unit within DSIT which will focus on strengthening collaboration between central and local government to promote digital transformation across local government. This announcement follows a recent push from central government to modernise local public services. This can be seen in the publication of The State of Digital Government and The Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, both of which consistently mention local government and set out the adoption of modern technologies across councils as a priority.
GDS Local priorities
GDS Local will focus on three priorities: making GDS products like GOV.UK One Login and the GOV.UK App available to councils, co-creating a shared tech vision, and unlocking data potential through secure sharing to scale innovation. It is a clear signal of the government’s commitment to drive digital transformation across councils at a crucial moment with local government facing cost pressures, resourcing shortages, and a once in a generation change with Local Government Reorganisation. The tech sector is key to this journey as suppliers can provide solutions to modernise their systems and ultimately enhance service delivery.
Local government perspective
Jonathan Stephenson, Joint Chief Executive of Brentwood Borough Council and Rochford District Council, provided the local government perspective, outlining these pressures and the growing demand for services. He highlighted the importance of digital leadership in driving change across local government and the need for collaboration between government and suppliers to develop a holistic understanding and solutions for challenges like data architecture and standards. This workshop was an example of partnership in action, bringing the sector together to provide a voice on key issues and helping to shape developments in local government.
Supplier engagement and common tech stack
During the workshop, Phil Rumens, Principal Technologist for GDS Local, provided suppliers from across the tech sector with an overview of GDS Local’s plans, particularly around a common tech stack for local councils. Councils currently operate with varying architecture models and maturity levels. GDS Local presents an opportunity to introduce a shared, reusable model focused on improving how service users interact with councils. While many councils committed to implementing a set of service standards under the Local Digital Declaration, many have faced barriers to implementing this standard including leadership buy in, language misalignment, limited resources and issues related to the software market. Data integration and interoperability are key to delivering joined-up services. GDS Local is developing a data architecture with core datasets feeding into relevant services.
Key challenges raised by suppliers
Suppliers were given the opportunity to provide feedback to GDS Local on the challenges councils face in delivering modern services and implementing a potential common tech stack. They highlighted issues such as the lack of data-sharing agreements between departments, siloed systems that hinder innovation, inconsistent procurement practices, governance gaps, and limited digital skills within councils. Suppliers also stressed the need for greater trust in data at the council level and called on central government to provide clear legal frameworks and practical examples of how reusable patterns and standards can be implemented.
While these discussions underscored the significant challenges local government faces in providing modern services and managing data across systems, they also showed a strong willingness across all levels to collaborate and embrace digital transformation. The session showcased how suppliers can play a key role in helping councils to modernise, drive innovation, and improve the citizen experience.
What this means for suppliers
The launch of GDS Local signals the importance of digitisation and collaboration, not just across councils, but across all levels of government and industry. Engagement with the tech sector and suppliers is crucial to delivering this digital transformation in local government. Engaging with suppliers creates opportunities to modernise systems, integrate data, and drive innovation across operations and services. This collective effort will help build a more efficient local government that delivers better services for citizens. If you’re a tech supplier to local government and want to share insights or thoughts on how we can improve collaboration or accelerate local government digitisation, please get in touch.
Luke Newcombe
Luke joined techUK in September 2025 as a Programme Manager for Local Public Services and Nations and Regions.
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