New Funding for England’s Councils to Improve Services through Digital Innovation

Last year, the government made a commitment to help councils in England transform their digital public services, backed by up to £7.5 million of funding. The Local Digital Fund, which has now opened for a second round, aims to help change the way councils use technology to design and deliver services, share expertise and ensure the public gets services focused relentlessly around their needs.

Grants of up to £350,000 will be available for projects which demonstrate they benefit local public services and have the potential to be rolled-out more widely across the country.

In order to help local authorities break their dependence on inflexible technology, adopt the best digital ways of working and offer local services for less, the programme will also train around 1,000 local government staff in digital skills.

Local authorities in England are eligible to submit an application. Central government departments are invited to bid as the lead organisation if they can demonstrate input from at least three local authorities. While lead applicants must be from England, partnering applicants can be from elsewhere in the UK.

Round 2 applications are only open to those projects which received funding in Round 1 of the programme, in 2018. The deadline for Round 2 submissions is 6 August 2019.

Round 3, which is open to all, opens on 19 August 2019, with a deadline for applications of 16 September 2019.

More information about this funding opportunity and the application process is available on the GRANTfinder funding information platform. GRANTfinder provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on funding news and policy. To find out more about how GRANTfinder can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.