The Future Governance Forum (FGF) is pushing for a fresh plan to modernize and digitize local government. They want to unite the sector through collaboration and develop a clear roadmap for local digital governance.
After engaging with local government leaders for eight months, the FGF’s report emphasizes the importance of a collective approach. It identifies a significant gap in local government innovation and data use—what they call the “missing middle.” This gap causes fragmentation and confusion, leading councils to duplicate efforts and miss opportunities to learn from one another.
To tackle these issues, the report lays out 60 recommendations. These include creating a sector-wide workforce plan to enhance digital skills and diversity. The report calls for pathways that allow digital staff to rise into leadership roles typically held by non-digital employees. They also highlight the need to improve infrastructure and create incentives for collaboration.
The report asserts that innovation needs to be de-risked. Right now, the software market is broken, with a few dominant suppliers locking councils into inflexible contracts that don’t work well together. They advocate for collective buying and a more open marketplace to encourage diverse suppliers.
Accountability is also a major topic. The report points out the lack of clarity on responsibilities within local government, making collaboration challenging. Councils often find themselves repeating the same processes, which drains resources. If they work together, they can leverage their collective strength to influence central government and share data more effectively.
Funding poses another challenge. With councils facing severe financial constraints, the report notes that some councils have had to raise taxes beyond legal limits or seek exceptional financial assistance just to balance their budgets for upcoming years. While the government has taken steps to provide multi-year funding, the ongoing financial crisis still hampers innovation and long-term planning.
The report highlights significant gaps in digital skills, noting a lack of representation and limited entry pathways into the digital sector. It recommends tracking the diversity of digital roles and establishing new apprenticeships to help build skills in this area.
There’s also a push for standardizing services across local government. The current situation creates a fragmented experience for councils. The goal is to have established service standards in place by 2030, with a significant majority of councils adhering to them, incentivized through an audit system.
The FGF envisions a future where local government owns the infrastructure for digital services, guided by a coordinating body. Regional centers for service innovation would focus on solutions tailored to specific areas and act as testing grounds for addressing shared challenges effectively.