On 12 June Mark Thompson presented at TechUK’s ‘Local Public Services Innovation Summit’ in London. Mark’s keynote ‘Where Next for Local Government Transformation and Innovation’ delivered one key message: the need to replatform the sector. Just as Tesco plc does not operate each of its 4,169 stores as a separate entity with their own back end functions (finance, customer services, operations, marketing, IT, HR/recruitment), Mark highlights the importance of centralising the support functions of each council. Recent discussions Mark has had with local and central government has further reinforced the need for a structural modernisation of the local government sector in order for collective thinking and localism to prevail.

The Summit was a fantastic opportunity to facilitate greater collaboration between councils and industry, and highlight the role innovation and technology can play in helping local authorities meet their pressing challenges.