During a virtual roundtable, hosted by Socitm, Socitm Advisory and Faerfield, AI experts and senior local government leaders joined forces to consider what this rapidly changing environment means for the sector. Some of the key themes discussed:

• awareness of AI within leadership

• the ethics of AI

• the biases and the unconscious bias

• the data breaches it might cause

Lambeth successfully secured Local Digital Fund Round 6 funding for a discovery project focused on improving Building Control services for local authorities.

They are now looking for input from past, present and future customers who have used Lambeth’s (or any other local authority’s) Building Control service. Your insights will be invaluable to help shape the future of Local Authority Building Control services. 

The Future Housing Tech Coalition is a collection of public, private and third sector organisations eager to share best practice and build the common, open, technology standards, products and services needed to ensure social housing services are future-ready.

They have written a blog post to share an update on two of their current projects, which are being funded by Local Digital. Read about their work so far, find out how to contribute to their research, and register to join their Show and Tell on Thursday 2 November.

The LGA’s Cyber, Digital and Technology team are arranging a series of workshops to understand more about Cyber, Digital, Data, and Technology (CDDAT) skill needs in key council services.

They would love Heads of Service in Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Planning, Environmental Services, and Public Health to attend.

Workshops will take place between mid-November and early December 2023. To express an interest, please email [email protected].

Scottish Borders Council’s (SBC) Digital Connect Day will bring a closer look at SBC’s remarkable journey of digital transformation and developments as a remote organisation. The Digital Connect Day will be full of live demonstrations, and interactive seminars as they discuss their experiences and key learnings from redesigning public services.

This free to attend event will be an in-person event at Inspire Learning in Tweedbank.

The LGA is holding an all-day event at 18 Smith Square in Westminster, where there will be women across the country in Local Government tech sharing insights and experiences. There will also be a chance to network during a drinks reception following the day’s programme.

iNetwork’s 20th Anniversary Annual Conference will bring together a range of senior speakers and exhibitors, and will offer delegates a platform for networking. Phil James, Community Engagement Manager at Local Digital, will be providing an update from the team. We’d love to see you there.

The conference, which is free to the local public sector, will be in-person at the Hyatt Regency in Manchester and will be offering a virtual joining option.

The LGA is hosting training for councillors with an interest in cyber, digital and technology. The programme aims to demystify digitalisation for those new to this area and those wanting to build their existing knowledge.

Attendance, accommodation, meals and tuition for this event will be fully subsidised and will take place in Leeds.

For more information and to sign up for this training, please email [email protected]