Local Government Digital Transformation Fund

Financial Year 2022/23

The WLGA digital team is managing the £1million Welsh Government fund as a pilot for 2022/23.

The fund was created in 2018 to maximise and identify opportunities to progress the digital transformation of local government in Wales. This fund was previously managed by the Welsh Government Local Government Transformation team.

We’ve been talking to officers and leaders across local government to get feedback on how the fund has been working until now, and from this have designed a new approach to trial this year.

How to apply

To apply, email a problem statement to digitalteam@wlga.gov.uk by 15 August 2022.

Your problem statement should be a couple of paragraphs, and cover the following points:

• An overview of the problem,
• Any evidence demonstrating the problem,
• An idea of the audience and who has the problem,
• How the problem fits with the Digital Strategy for Wales.

Your statement shouldn’t be a solution, it should explain the issue you’re facing. Below is a statement about a problem from the GDS service manual:

For example, a problem is not: “We need to build an interactive map to show people where our contact centres are”. It’s probably something like: “How can we make it easier for people to find their nearest contact centre if they need to book a face-to-face appointment?”

Your submission will be expected to show where the problem aligns with the Digital Strategy for Wales. You should make reference in the submission to the overarching Mission or Missions which best align with the problem being addressed:

• Mission 1: digital services – Deliver and modernise services so that they are designed around user needs and are simple, secure and convenient.
• Mission 2:  digital inclusion – Equip people with the motivation, access, skills and confidence to engage with an increasingly digital world, based on their needs.
• Mission 3: digital skills – Create a workforce that has the digital skills, capability and confidence to excel in the workplace and in everyday life.
• Mission 4: digital economy – Drive economic prosperity and resilience by embracing and exploiting digital innovation.
• Mission 5: digital connectivity – Services are supported by fast and reliable infrastructure.
• Mission 6: data and collaboration – Services are improved by working together, with data and knowledge being used and shared.

The process

We’ll circulate all submissions for comment following the submission deadline.

We invite feedback and comment from any other councils who have done work around any of the problems submitted or if there are councils who would like to be involved in any potential projects from the problems submitted.

This engagement activity will conclude on 29 August 2022, with commissioning happening on 30 August 2022. During the commissioning process, a panel will review all submissions and allocate funding based on the following criteria:

• Alignment to the Digital Strategy for Wales
• Local authority impact
• Impact to users/customers (residents, businesses or tourists in Wales)
• Effort and investment required

Once funding is allocated, we will work with you on project kick-off sessions to get the work up and running. Then, throughout the rest of the financial year, we will work closely with the project teams, holding regular check-ins and supporting public show and tell events to showcase the work that is happening and share best practice and lessons learnt. We will also work to support skills development and offer any coaching or mentoring needed.

In February 2023, all projects will publish an update and any outcomes as a result of the findings.

At the end of this financial year, we (the WLGA digital team) will host a public retrospective to feed back on the trial this year. This feedback on what works well and what could be improved will be used to shape recommendations to ministers and the Welsh Government, informing future funding opportunities.

Questions

If you have any questions or comments, or would like any support with submitting your problem statement/s, please email digitalteam@wlga.gov.uk