Support the new Local Digital Declaration - KHUB Focus

This week saw the launch of the Local Digital Declaration, a joint endeavour between the UK Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Government Digital Service (GDS), and a collection of local authorities and sector bodies from across the UK. These organisations have come together to affirm their collective ambition for local public services in the internet age and give a commitment to realising that ambition.

The Declaration seeks to do what many other digital initiatives before it have not managed to achieve: bring about real change, not just in terms of a shift in technology, but a culture shift too. We, at Knowledge Hub, really welcome this approach. You will often have heard us say that we see the technology as the enabler, but it’s only part of the story. It’s the people and the culture that really make things happen.

The Local Digital Declaration focuses on 5 key principles:

1. Go further to redesign services around the needs of those using them.
2. #FixThePlumbing to stop the dependence on expensive, inflexible technology.
3. Share information and build trust to better support those who are vulnerable and target resources efficiently.
4. Demonstrate digital leadership and create the conditions for genuine organisational transformation.
5. Embed an open culture that values, incentivises and expects digital ways of working.

You can read the full Declaration here.

At Knowledge Hub, we’re hugely supportive of the new Local Digital Declaration. We are pleased to see so many references to collaborative working, sharing practice and participation in communities of practice. Given that’s what we’re all about too, we want to pledge our support and we hope many Knowledge Hub members will do the same.

Watch Rishi Sunak, Local Government Minister talking about the Local Digital Declaration:

Rishi Sunak - Digital Collaboration from MHCLG IC on Vimeo.