Councils can bid for backing of up to £350,000
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The government is increasing the money available to local authorities in the second funding round of its Local Digital Fund.
Authorities can bid for backing of up to £350,000 to support projects that use digital technologies to improve the delivery of public services. The government has set aside a dedicated spending pot of £7.5m, a sixth of which was awarded during the first round of funding that took place last year.
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Among the 16 projects each given up to £100,000 were a programme led by Birmingham City Council to investigate the use of chatbots such as Amazon Alexa or Apple’s Siri, and a North East Lincolnshire Council project dedicated to improving the authority’s use of GOV.UK Pay.
The government is seeking proposals involving at least three councils working collaboratively to solve shared challenges. A total of 57 authorities took part in the projects supported during the first funding round.
Local government minister Luke Hall said: “Digital technology is transforming our lives. From smart tech at home to apps on our phones, it’s helping us to stay connected and making things easier. Councils are on the front line of exploring how we can harness technology to improve services while saving taxpayers’ money.”
Bids for the second round of funding are open until 16 September.
