VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Government backs ‘one app fits all’ parking platform
21/05/2025 The Government has committed to delivering simpler parking nationwide through the roll out of a ‘one app fits all’ parking platform. |
Council signs up to AI trial
11/04/2025 West Berkshire Council has been named as one of 25 local authorities to take part in a government-led artificial intelligence (AI) trial. |
Streeting: Care staff to be trained in ‘cutting-edge’ tech
09/04/2025 Social care workers will be trained to use the latest ‘cutting-edge technology’ to help improve the social care system, Wes Streeting has said. |
Liverpool bin lorries to measure mobile phone coverage
14/03/2025 Bin lorries and street sweepers in Liverpool are to be used to map the region’s mobile phone coverage from four main providers. |
Council approves £2.5m Rose sculptures
06/03/2025 Barnsley Council has approved £2.5m of funding for three Yorkshire Rose sculptures in the town centre. |
Government push for AI growth
04/03/2025 AI is here and it is shaping our lives and our society. Chris Holmes, Baron Holmes of Richmond, discusses AI regulation. |
New funding for local government to tackle digital exclusion
26/02/2025 The Government has announced that new funding will be available to help local and combined authorities to tackle digital exclusion. |
AI and the Pothole Crisis: Learning from 'Down Under’
04/02/2025 Leo Hanna, executive vice president UK at TechnologyOne, looks at what the UK can learn from Australia when it comes to using AI to identify potholes. |
Community Engagement Company Commonplace Acquired by Zencity to Expand UK Platform Capabilities
30/01/2025 Zencity, a global leader in community engagement platforms, has announced its acquisition of UK engagement software company Commonplace. |
Council signs off on Europe’s biggest AI data centre
27/01/2025 Hertsmere Borough Council has granted outline planning permission for a £3.75bn data centre which promises to deliver thousands of new jobs. |
Government urged to ‘empower’ councils as digital plans unveiled
21/01/2025 Council bosses have urged the Government to ‘empower’ local authorities after it set out new plans to overhaul digital technology and AI usage in public services. |
Councils to be banned from making ransomware payments
14/01/2025 Local authorities could be banned from making ransomware payments as part of the Government’s plans to crack down on cybercrime. |
Metro mayors back digital transformation
13/01/2025 A study of the manifestos of 12 UK metro mayors has revealed ‘clear alignment’ around digital transformation goals. |
Council plans ‘striking’ Yorkshire roses landmark
13/01/2025 Three Yorkshire roses are set to form a ‘striking’ new landmark as part of a Barnsley Council redevelopment project. |
Councils to join AI drive
13/01/2025 Local government will be asked to assist in a drive to develop the infrastructure and skills needed to harness the potential of artificial intelligence (AI). |
State will operate 'more like a start-up'
10/12/2024 The launch of a £100m fund to pioneer public sector reform and deliver the Government's Plan for Change will see the state operate ‘more like a start-up', a minister has pledged. |
Digital advisory group launched for Scotland’s public sector
03/12/2024 A new unit has been formed to develop digital skills across Scotland’s public and third sectors. |
UK-first tool developed by Bluesky scores areas green credentials to aid urban planners
29/11/2024 A new tool which allows urban planners to assess tree coverage and access to green space based on a new rule has been developed by Bluesky International. |
ShuttleID launches 90-day free trial for local authorities
18/11/2024 ShuttleID, the digital school bus pass platform, has launched a new package designed specifically for use with local authorities. |
Rethinking school communications ahead of the PSTN switch-off
06/11/2024 Cardiff Council takes PSTN switch-off as opportunity to rethink school communications, writes Dan York, Local Government Sector Lead, Avaya UK&I. |
Not appropriate to remain on X, council says
21/10/2024 Chippenham Town Council has announced it will leave social media platform X amid ‘a significant increase in unfiltered and inappropriate content’. |
Councils lack adequate support on AI, research finds
30/09/2024 Local authorities are being left without adequate support to procure AI in the public interest, according to new research. |
Care homes invited to adopt AI solutions
24/09/2024 Care homes in Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are being invited to take part in an initiative that uses AI to enhance resident monitoring. |
Solar powered bus stop displays improve passenger experience in the Scottish Borders
05/09/2024 Journeo is working with Scottish Borders Council to bring scheduled and live Real Time Passenger Information to remote communities. |
Newcastle City Council successfully implements Azul Platform Core
02/09/2024 Newcastle City Council has successfully implemented Azul Platform Core to address critical security vulnerabilities in its Java-based applications. |
Taking the lead
19/08/2024 Barley Laing, the UK Managing Director at Melissa, says its time for local government to take the lead in driving efficiencies and change. |
LGA: Minister’s stance on hybrid meetings ‘encouraging’
19/08/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has said it was ‘encouraging’ that the new Government signalled an openness to discussing hybrid council meetings. |
Public sector productivity hampered by payroll and HR software limitations
18/07/2024 Nearly half of all public sector organisations across the UK and Ireland are wrangling with payroll and HR systems that are not fit for purpose. |
LGA launches framework for digital transformation
12/07/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has launched a new framework to support councils as they digitalise. |
App data 'suggests 11.5 million potholes in UK'
02/07/2024 There are five times more defects on British roads than previous estimates, according to data from a dashboard app that uses AI technology. |
Levelling up progress ‘glacial’, think tank says
19/06/2024 Progress on levelling up in England has been ‘glacial’ and – according to some metrics – inequality has got worse, a new analysis by the IFS has revealed. |
Talking AI in Aberdeen
30/05/2024 Andy MacDonald, Executive Director of Corporate Services at Aberdeen City Council shares his insights and advice on generative AI adoption in local government. |
BT: Too many councils failing to engage
21/05/2024 ‘Too many’ councils are failing to engage with telecoms giant BT as it works to switch customers to digital phone lines, the firm has said. |
Oracle project costs soar from £3m to £40m
09/05/2024 The budget for replacing an IT system with Oracle has ballooned from £2.6m to almost £40m, councillors in West Sussex have heard. |
Councils pay £1m in data breach compensation
03/05/2024 More than £1m has been paid out by 39 councils in compensation for data breaches in the past three years. |
SkillGate’s Classroom Booking System - Training course booking made easy!
29/04/2024 Streamline your training course booking operations with SkillGate’s Classroom Booking System. |
Leveraging data to reverse the planning staff decline
22/04/2024 Scott Goodwin, divisional director Land, Property and Public Protection, Idox, explains how rapid access to easily consumed data can transform planning teams. |
Third council in biometrics warning
12/04/2024 A third council has warned it faces potential fallout from new entry checks at UK borders earmarked for October. |
East Herts DC selects Cadcorp for advancing digital planning services
19/03/2024 East Herts District Council (EHDC) has been awarded DLUHC Digital Planning Programme Funding for innovating planning services. |
Cyber attack disruption to last weeks
18/03/2024 Leicester City Council expects disruption caused by a recent Cyber attack on the authority to continue until the end of the month. |
City council hit by Cyber attack
11/03/2024 IT and phone systems at Leicester City Council remain shut down this week following a cyber incident |
Lack of AI policies could have 'catastrophic consequences'
28/02/2024 More than three out of four UK councils do not have usage policies for artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, according to FOI data. |
Mobile connectivity programme costs ‘higher than anticipated’
22/02/2024 The Government’s programme for expanding 4G mobile connectivity across 95% of the UK by 2025 is behind schedule and is costing more than anticipated. |
360 Vision Technology’s Invictus TX wireless camera selected for Heritage site
31/01/2024 360 Vision Technology has been chosen to supply the camera surveillance technology for an historically important English Heritage site at Exeter Quayside. |
Socitm: Public sector services must primarily become digital
22/01/2024 Despite extreme pressures on finances and staffing, public sector services must primarily become digital in everything they do, according to a new report from Socitm. |
Leveraging tech to tackle black mould
09/01/2024 Deborah Matthews, MRI Software, looks at how arming onsite teams with the right tech can empower social housing providers to be proactive on black mould. |
Fears over digital switchover costs
08/01/2024 Councils face multi-million pound bills as a result of the digital switchover of the telephone system. |
Alarm sounded on cyber threat to local elections
21/12/2023 Ministers have written to councils to warn of attempted foreign interference in next year’s elections. |
Parking meters face disruption from 2G switch off
18/12/2023 Parking meters, alarm systems and telecare devices risk facing disruption when 2G and 3G mobile networks are switched off, council chiefs warn. |
Online Safety – Time to Act
08/12/2023 Schools still have work to do despite onus being put on online platforms to conform to new safeguarding legislation, says safeguarding expert Mark Bentley. |
Council reprimanded after suffering Cyber attack
28/11/2023 Gloucester City Council has pledged lessons will be learnt following a reprimand from a data watchdog over a Cyber attack. |
Councils sign cross border partnership
13/11/2023 Two English councils, Herefordshire and Shropshire, and two Welsh county councils, Monmouthshire and Powys, have signed a partnership agreement. |
It’s a speed thing: digital transformation in local government
01/11/2023 Adrian Trickett, Vice President of Sales and General Manager of EMEA at Boomi, discusses why digital transformation projects in local government fail. |
Council websites referred to equality watchdogs
30/10/2023 Some 56 local government websites have been referred to equality watchdogs in the last year. |
Getting ready for Biodiversity Net Gain
23/10/2023 Dr Robin McArthur, chair of the Joe's Blooms Advisory Board, discusses Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and what local authorities should do to prepare. |
Cadcorp launches new EPC Data Service
05/10/2023 Cadcorp has launched a new cloud hosted data service, providing Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings for all residential properties in Great Britain. |
Budgetary Breaking Point: Learning from Birmingham’s mistakes
04/10/2023 Claire Agutter from Scopism takes a look at why Birmingham CC's predicament is not an isolated case and how other councils can learn from their mistakes. |
Government pledges £60m innovation investment
04/10/2023 The Government has pledged to invest £60m into an innovation fund to support universities in areas with lower levels of research and development investment. |
Scam warning amid digital switchover
18/09/2023 Criminals are exploiting the analogue to digital switchover to scam users of health care telephony devices into giving personal information, councils warn. |
Wales to consider funding bids straddling English border
11/09/2023 Wales’ economy minister has said he would consider funding bids from a new council partnership that crosses the Welsh and English border. |
Tech firm urges Government to overhaul welfare systems
30/08/2023 We Are Digital has called on the Government to tear up ‘outdated and siloed’ welfare models and implement an approach that could save councils millions. |
Welsh and English councils announce new partnership
30/08/2023 Councils on either side of the border between Wales and England are set to join a partnership in a bid to seek Government funding. |
Council hit by suspected ransomware attack
25/08/2023 St Helens Borough Council has put in place extra security measures after a suspected ransomware attack on its IT systems and networks. |
Liverpool to provide 4,500 tablets to tackle digital exclusion
18/08/2023 More than 4,500 people in the Liverpool City Region will receive free tablets, internet access and training as part of a scheme to bridge the UK’s ‘digital divide’. |
Cyber-attack hit Electoral Commission
08/08/2023 Information held by the Electoral Commission was accessed by 'hostile actors,' the watchdog has revealed. |
Increased connectivity means increased community
08/08/2023 Nick Wiggin, Freshwave, looks at the relationship between connectivity and community, and discusses the importance of digital champions. |
How social housing professionals can combat cyber-attacks
07/08/2023 How can the sector’s IT professionals safeguard their tech stacks? John Blackburn, Central Networks, outlines some crucial steps to implement. |
UPRNs are the embodiment of data provenance. Are you ready?
07/08/2023 Fiona Barron, Land Data, and Steven Brandwood, Engagement, GeoPlace, discuss the importance of keeping the UPRN conversation going at the local level. |
Councils urged to bid for 5G funding
31/07/2023 Local authorities across the UK have been invited to bid for shares of a £40m fund to support their adoption of 5G and other advanced wireless technology. |
Digital champions important for broadband ‘consistency’
18/07/2023 The Government should consider requiring councils to have a digital champion to help improve the UK’s rollout of fast broadband, a new study has concluded. |
Waltham Forest Council appoints Voicescape to help drive up Council Tax collections
12/07/2023 Voicescape has strengthened its public sector position, after being appointed by Waltham Forest Council – its sixth local gov client win in the last year. |
Getting tech-savvy Gen Z into the social care sector
07/07/2023 Rajiv Tanna, co-founder and CPO of birdie, looks at how technology can help the social care sector appeal to younger generations. |
More councillors feel at risk of abuse
06/07/2023 The number of local councillors who have reported feeling at risk in their role due to abuse and intimidation has increased in the last year, LGA finds. |
How to support your local businesses more effectively to safeguard their future
29/06/2023 Destin Solutions has worked with one local authority to help them get to grips with their local business landscape through the smarter use of data. |
Majority of councils support return of virtual meetings
29/06/2023 Most councils would like to be able to reintroduce virtual meetings to support the recruitment and retention of councillors, a new survey has revealed. |
Can technology solve the care crisis? We certainly think so.
28/06/2023 Jody O'Neill, CEO of Curam, the UK's largest online platform for care workers, looks at the role of technology in solving the care crisis. |
‘Smart multi-purpose' lamp post pilots launched
14/06/2023 Ministers have announced up to £1.5m for six local authority-led pilots to test the capacity for lamp posts to deliver smart services such as EV charging. |
Orlo, first social media management platform in the world to integrate with Nextdoor
13/06/2023 Orlo, the UK’s number one social media management platform, announces a first of its kind API integration with Nextdoor, the neighbourhood network. |
Councils wait for Capita reassurance
02/06/2023 Unhappy councils are seeking assurances from revenues and benefits software supplier Capita there will be no more data breaches after a number of incidents. |
Council helps Premier League stop £7m streaming fraud
31/05/2023 Five men who illegally streamed Premier League matches have been jailed following a trading-standards investigation led by Hammersmith and Fulham Council. |
How AI can assist councils with social housing allocations
30/05/2023 Charlie Green, Comparesoft, looks at how incorporating machine learning with asset management can help councils manage social housing allocation. |
List of councils impacted by Capita data breach grows
19/05/2023 The number of local authorities impacted by Capita’s most recent data breach has risen to five. |
Councils to take ‘swift’ action after data breach
17/05/2023 Local authorities say they are taking action to deal with a data breach by the revenues and benefits software supplier, Capita. |
Jersey selects BridgeHead’s HealthStore® to manage medical images
12/05/2023 The Government of Jersey’s has contracted BridgeHead Software to implement HealthStore® to consolidate all medical images in an accessible central repository. |
BridgeHead’s HealthStore® Wins 2023 MedTech Breakthrough Award
12/05/2023 Prestigious international annual awards program recognizes standout digital health & medical technology products and companies. |
Shropshire Council welcomes £24m broadband contract
10/05/2023 Shropshire Council welcomes the announcement of a multi-million-pound investment into high-speed full-fibre broadband. |
Councils warned against banning TikTok
24/04/2023 A national body made up of organisations working together to raise standard of communications in the public sector has warned councils against banning TikTok. |
Cyber attack led to data breach
21/04/2023 Capita has admitted data was stolen during a Cyber attack that disrupted council services. |
Councils disclose 1,500 data breaches
19/04/2023 UK councils have disclosed almost 1,500 data breaches in a year, according to a survey. |
New safeguarding software to transform collaboration between councils and schools
18/04/2023 Software company CPOMS has developed a first-of-its-kind solution to transform the way councils work with schools to log and manage safeguarding concerns. |
New North Yorkshire Council urged to live stream meetings
17/04/2023 Councillors in Scarborough have urged the new North Yorkshire Council to live stream all its meetings online to improve transparency and cut down on travel. |
Labour pledges to revitalise high streets
12/04/2023 Labour will today promote its plan to revitalise ailing high streets through a £700m fund to help small businesses with soaring energy bills. |
Milton Keynes City Council offsets rising energy prices with Telensa smart street lighting
11/04/2023 Milton Keynes CC forecasts that Telensa smart street lighting will deliver annual energy savings of over 60% and carbon savings equivalent to five million kWh. |
Don’t force drivers to pay for parking with smartphones, Gove says
06/04/2023 Levelling-up secretary Michael Gove has told councils they must not force drivers to use smartphones to pay for parking spaces. |
Social care workforce funding halved
04/04/2023 Government plans to digitise the care sector and bolster the workforce have come under fire after it emerged they would mean cutting workforce funding. |
Cyber attack hits councils
04/04/2023 Councils have reported disruption to their call centres after a Cyber attack on outsourcing giant Capita. |
Motorists face digital exclusion from car parks, MPs warn
30/03/2023 MPs have asked the Government to help motorists who have problems parking because of increasing use of mobile technology apps. |
Restore Records Management works with HM Land Registry to digitise files
21/03/2023 Restore Records Management has been working with HM Land Registry to digitise historic files that include a property lease to drive service efficiencies. |
Cambridgeshire set to see broadband boost with £69m contract
21/03/2023 Around 45,000 people in rural Cambridgeshire are set to see an improvement in their broadband thanks to a multi-million-pound Project Gigabit agreement. |
Why this is the year councils look to business intelligence
10/03/2023 Mark Cobb, CEO, Cantium Business Solutions argues that business intelligence can help local authorities transform service delivery. |
