Standing Down

Today I officially stood down as Chair of the LocalGov Digital Steering Group after six years.

Delivering the Local Government Service Standard, playing a part in the creation of the Government Service Standard and the Local Digital Declaration, and the membership expanding to thousands of people working in and around local government are just a few highlights of those six years.

That time has also seen a huge change in the perception of digital in local government.

Necessitated by austerity and accelerated by COVID, digital is now seen as an enabler for change rather than just a medium for communication in almost every local authority. The buzz around the art of the possible has matured into wide-scale delivery and as a result I’ve seen the output of once prolific tweeters and blog posters gone to the grindstone of getting things done.

To some extent that has influenced my decision, but also work-life balance, given that running LocalGov Digital involves more time on top of one's already additional hours for their employer, and, like hundreds of thousands of local government colleagues up and down the country, there have been many over the past couple of years.

Dave Briggs now takes over as Chair and it’s arguable that without him there would be no LocalGov Digital, as his creation of LocalGovCamp with its convening and collaborative power predates the network by three years, and partly inspired its creation. I also have a huge respect the the leadership and drive to get things done of Kat Sexton, who takes over as Vice-Chair.

I will still be involved with the network, organise the Peer Group for the South, and hope to stay as part of the Steering Group, but I leave a strong network in good hands with great plans for the future.

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