techUK has published a new report calling for the roll out of digital innovation across the UK’s local public services.

The technology trade association said that while local government has been transforming digitally because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is still missing out on “untapped innovation” to tackle issues such as supply chain disruption and public finance cuts.

The report has urged councils to prioritise cross-industry collaboration and reassess how to utilise procurement and market engagement to drive innovation.

It recommends that local public services signpost what good early market engagement looks like, create an “innovation-friendly ecosystem”, build a central repository of innovation funding, establish a regional chief digital officer forum, and join techUK’s Innovators Network.

“In this paper, techUK sets out how local public services can grasp the innovation opportunity and maximise the benefits they derive from digital technologies and their suppliers,” said Georgina Maratheftis, associate director for Local Public Services, techUK. “To innovate we need to collaborate across both public sector and the supplier base.

"We look forward to working with local public service partners to make the case for innovation a reality through our series of market engagement opportunities and newly launched Innovators Network.”

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