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LGA - Local leaders set to boost digital leadership skills and transform communities
Senior officers in local government are set to benefit from new digital and AI leadership skills to drive forward transformation in their councils and communities.
The Local Government Association (LGA) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) are piloting a new leadership programme, to help senior officers in non-digital roles confidently navigate service modernisation and responsibly harness AI.
The pilot programme, ‘Learn, Adapt. Lead: Digital fluency for local government leaders’, is aligned with the Blueprint for a Modern Digital Government and designed to strengthen collaboration between local and central government to deliver better, more consistent services for residents.
The programme aims to:
- Build digital confidence and leadership capability
- Develop a shared language and understanding of digital across government
- Support strategic alignment and place-based outcomes
Working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and councils including Somerset Council and East Sussex County Council, the pilot will operate in two phases between now and April. The first phase will be discovery and design to shape the curriculum to reflect the realities of local and regional government, with the second phase focusing on delivery of learning content to a small cohort, to further refine the pilot programme.
Developed in partnership between the LGA and MHCLG Local Digital, the programme adapts proven MHCLG learning for central government, with a focus on plain English, practical leadership, and prioritising what matters most to residents.
This marks another significant step in strengthening collaboration across the public sector to enable the full potential of digital in public service delivery. It follows last month’s launch of the new Digital and Data Hub and Get Tech Certified scheme, helping to build digital skills and capabilities across the sector.
The LGA’s own State of Digital Local Government report published this year highlighted findings showing that almost half of councils (48 per cent) reported skills gaps in management teams to support digitalisation and use of technology. While there are many excellent digital leaders and specialists in local government, wider management teams often lack experience and understanding of digital issues.
Cllr Dan Swords, Chair of the LGA’s Public Service Reform and Innovation Committee, said:
“This latest collaboration between councils and central government marks a pivotal moment in harnessing the transformative power of digital technology across local government.
“It reflects a shared recognition of the urgent need to build digital skills and capabilities to improve public service delivery and meet the evolving needs of communities.”
Cllr Nick Peel, Leader of Bolton Council, and GMCA Digital Portfolio Leader, said:
"As part of our collective work in Greater Manchester to build a thriving city region where everyone can live a good life, we have an extensive range of public service reform initiatives.
“I am delighted that we will be working with the LGA and MHCLG to develop the skills of senior officers who are leading digitally enabled transformation projects, so that we can support our communities even more effectively."
Notes to Editors
The LGA’s Cyber, Digital and Technology team regularly publishes resources for councils, including training courses, workshops and events for councillors and officers.
LGA Cyber, Digital and Technology – Learning events and materials
LGA State of Digital Local Government report
Government Digital and Data Hub
Local Digital is a team within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) that provides digital and cyber support to local government.
