Aggregator

Disaggregation doesn’t have to mean total separation!

Dave Briggs' other blog
2 months 2 weeks ago
Following the announcements last week of the shape of local government arrangements in various areas, I’ve had to rethink things a bit. The move is clearly towards merging and empowering districts over centralising into unitary counties. This means an increase in disaggregation. Take the county I reside in, Norfolk, as an example: it is being […]
Dave

Lost in the woods

Sarah Lay
2 months 2 weeks ago
The changing mission of LocalGov Digital: from collaboration catalyst to conversation connector
Sarah

A year of talking to strangers

Phil Rumens
3 months ago

Back in February 2025, I set aside some time in my diary to do something simple: talk to strangers, once a week.

The idea was borrowed from the NHS' Randomised Coffee Trial and similar initiatives, though in my version the selection of participants was anything but random. 

I wanted to discuss technology, data, and the internet as they relate to the design and delivery of public services, though we could talk about anything, provided:it isn’t:

  • A product or service you’d like to sell me

  • A political party or politician

  • Working for me, or me working for you

I expected a handful of takers in the first few weeks. A year and a new role later, it's still going.

The topics have been as varied as I’d hoped. Artificial intelligence came up often,  from the ethics of agentic AI to specific tools and the case for small language models. 

Other conversations went deep on Universal Property Reference Numbers, development capacity in local government, and the broader challenges of digital public services.

Then there were the tangents I didn't see coming: someone asking me to help format their data; a shared memory of attending UEFA Women's Euro 2022; and a conversation about how the public's behaviour towards a former police officer changed entirely depending on whether or not they were carrying a firearm.

Only a couple of times did things drift toward a sales pitch,  though I should note that my own job description involves working with vendors, and roughly half my guests have come from the private or third sector.

I won't pretend I wasn't nervous at first, but I can honestly say I look forward to these conversations. Each one has been rewarding in its own way, and I've learned far more across those twelve months than I expected.

If you're thinking of doing something similar, my advice is straightforward: set your own rules, remind people of them at the start, and don't hesitate to click the leave button if you need to.

Here's to another year of varied and unexpected conversation. If you'd like to chat, don't be a stranger, you can book a slot, usually at 4.30pm on a Thursday, right here.

Phil Rumens

Local government content management system usage in maps (UK and Ireland) – 2026

Colin Stenning - Digital Health Check
3 months ago

I have been maintaining maps of CMS usage in the UK and Ireland since 2021. The latest updated maps are now available and accompany the LocalGov CMS Directory. Maps shows the geographical spread of content management systems and help to visualise any usage patterns across the various countries included in this review (England, Northern Ireland, […]

The post Local government content management system usage in maps (UK and Ireland) – 2026 appeared first on Digital Health Check.

colinstenning

On the benefits of a bit of external scrutiny

Dave Briggs' other blog
3 months 1 week ago
I have had the pleasure over the last couple of years of being a member of Woking Council’s Digital Design Authority. This is a group made up of a few senior members of the digital team at the Council, the relevant portfolio holding member, as well and myself and a few other independent folk with […]
Dave

Disclosure logs – are councils missing an opportunity?

Colin Stenning - Digital Health Check
3 months 2 weeks ago

Disclosure logs provide organisations with a public record of responses to information requests made under the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations. There is no legal requirement to provide a disclosure log, but it is considered to be good practice by the Information Commissioner’s Office. This post reviews the limited use of disclosure […]

The post Disclosure logs – are councils missing an opportunity? appeared first on Digital Health Check.

colinstenning