Government funding announced to boost digital innovation

Councils in Yorkshire have been awarded more than £155,000 from the Government to build on digital advances made during the pandemic.

It is part of a national scheme for councils – worth £800,000 in total.

A spokesman for the initiative explained: “Councils have responded to the Coronavirus pandemic by rapidly introducing innovative new ways of serving their communities. This new funding will help ensure they continue to modernise and improve the way they deliver public services.

The spokesperson highlighted a selection of key areas which will be supported by the funding, including enabling residents to respond and share their opinions on planning applications online. Other projects will look to “speed up local support for vulnerable people” by expanding ” community and council networks”.

Leeds City Council will receive £79,500 to develop a guide for all councils to ensure that people who may struggle with digital technology, especially those who are vulnerable of socially isolated, get the help they need.

This will make it easier for them to use services and help with loneliness and local support.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council will receive £76,000 to build on what it has learned about changes to how staff have worked during the pandemic, alongside North East Lincolnshire Council, North Lincolnshire Council and Hull City Council.

Social distancing measures have meant dramatic changes to how staff work, with large numbers mostly working at home for the first time and others changing when they work to keep the workplace safe.

This will help to design future working patterns that maximise productivity, efficiency and wellbeing for council staff delivering public services.

Also, a group of councils across England – including North Yorkshire County Council – will receive £120,000 to build on successful work to help vulnerable residents during the pandemic.

They will use the information that’s been most useful to improve and speed up how councils identify vulnerable people so they can predict and give the right support.

Local Government Minister, MP Simon Clarke, said: “Councils have made huge efforts to support their residents at this testing time – by housing rough sleepers quickly, supporting vulnerable people and ensuring services such as bin collections continue.

“They have had to adapt their services from in-person to online, using technology to do so and I am determined we capitalise on this and use everything we have learned to improve efficiency and make services better for residents and communities.

“That’s why we’re giving them £800,000 to build on the rapid digital innovation of recent months so local communities continue to feel the benefits of more efficient public services.”