Councils Receive Financial Support for Digital Projects

Local councils receive £800,000 from the Local Digital Fund to help them better respond to the Covid-19 crisis.

21:59 29 July 2020

Eleven innovative council-led projects designed to further improve local services using advanced digital technology have received £800,000 funding from the Local Digital Fund. The scheme will assist local councils in introducing innovative new ways and modernising the way they deliver public services. 

 

Projects include the development of a tool that will help councils determine whether social distancing is followed, introducing online portals to allow residents to vote on major planning applications online, and expanding council networks to speed up local support for vulnerable people. 

 

Local Government Minister Simon Clarke MP said: "Councils have made huge efforts to support their residents at this testing time - by housing rough sleepers quickly, supporting vulnerable people and ensuring services such as bin collections continue. 

 

"They have had to adapt their services from in-person to online, using technology to do so and I am determined we can capitalise on this and use everything we have learned to improve efficiency and make services better for residents and communities. 

 

"That's why we're giving them £800,000 to build on the rapid digital innovation of recent months so that local communities continue to feel the benefits of more efficient public services."