Local Digital Declaration
Along with 306 councils across the UK, we have signed the Local Digital Declaration. It is a commitment to ensuring digital technology always enables service improvement and provides the best possible experience for users. The Declaration was initiated by the UK Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the Government Digital Services (GDS), and a collection of local authorities and sector bodies from across the UK
The Declaration supports our ambition for modern local public services and our commitment to:
- design services that meet users' needs
- deliver better value for money
- work with the technology sector to offer the best possible tools
- protect users' privacy and security
Our declaration includes 5 core principles, these are summarised as:
1. Putting users first
Our services will be tailored to fit our users' needs, prioritising users above professionals and the organisation.
We achieve this by:
Creating accessible web content, using data and research to inform changes and welcoming and responding to user feedback.
2. Creating technology that connects
We will create digital services using reusable components for multiple purposes that can seamlessly connect to other IT systems.
We achieve this by:
Building digital services such as bookings, case management, payments and events that are capable of integration using APIs and sharing our development with local authorities who wish to implement the same services.
3. Building trust in data practices
We will only ever share information safely and securely, building trust among our partners and users, and better supporting the most vulnerable members of our communities.
We achieve this by:
Publishing privacy notices for our online services, deleting data when we no longer need it.
4. Leading digital transformation
We will demonstrate digital leadership, creating the conditions for organisational transformation, and ensuring all those we work with embrace this Digital Declaration.
We achieve this by:
Embracing new ways of working (including Agile methodology), not just digitising services but redesigning them.
5. Fostering open and collaborative working
We will champion an open working culture that helps every colleague to succeed with working digitally, through sharing our plans and experience, working collaboratively with other organisations, and reusing good practice.
We achieve this by:
Sharing product roadmaps, offering training, maintaining style guides and content standards.
The Local Digital Declaration is not only a pledge made by the digital and information technology teams. It outlines good practice that everyone across all of our services should follow.
To read the original declaration in full, visit the Local Digital Declaration website.