Naming a service: how we chose a name for Share Homes for Ukraine data
A new start for Homes for Ukraine The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme was introduced in 2022 in...
Building Local Transcribe for local government
Frontline staff in local government spend a significant amount of time turning conversations into wr...
From pixels to policy: The potential of geospatial embeddings for MHCLG
MHCLG analysis of Bluesky International Ltd aerial imagery. The Advanced Analytics and AI (AAAI) tea...
From engagement to delivery: supporting responsible AI adoption in councils
In April, the Local AI team ran a series of AI ethics drop-in sessions with councils across England....
Shaping the future of open data: the new Open Data Communities service
Open Data Communities (ODC) is the platform the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Governmen...
Cutting admin, not corners: AI in temporary accommodation
Temporary accommodation (TA) is a vital local authority service, supporting people who are homeless ...
Tackling planning delays: PropTech Innovation Fund Round 6 pilots now underway
England’s planning system faces real and pressing challenges. Cross-boundary and cross-tier plan-mak...
Renters’ Rights Act: how content design and policy collaborated to deliver the guidance
The Renters’ Rights Act changed the law for 11 million tenants who live in private properties in Eng...
How GovPrint is supporting our efficiency and digital sustainability ambitions
GovPrint is a cross-government cloud-based service that lets civil servants securely print documents...
Using AI to support planning decisions – what it means for planners and residents
This week we have shared details of a new artificial intelligence (AI) planning prototype designed t...
Extract is here: AI-powered planning data for every council in England
Today we have announced that Extract is now live and every local planning authority in England has f...
From conversations to insights: building Managing Local Conversations
The Digital Connect team (formerly Common Tools) in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local G...
Shape the future of voting: Join our Elections Digital team
Hi, we are Jen Oliver and Liz Owen, job-sharing Deputy Director of the Elections Digital team at the...
The IT Reuse for Good charter: creating social impact with everyday technology
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the first government department...
Data standards: Laying the groundwork for an open, faster, data-driven planning system
We have now laid regulations in Parliament to introduce mandatory data standards for Plans – marking...
Extract: unlocking England’s planning data
England's planning authorities hold a wealth of information that applicants, software developers and...
The planning technology projects changing the planning system
New technology is reshaping how planning is delivered – improving efficiency, transparency and outco...
From emergency to sustainability: creating Share Homes for Ukraine data
In response to Russia’s full scale illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the government launched the ...
Transforming planning with PlanX and new funding to help local planning authorities reap the rewards
Dozens of local planning authorities (LPAs) are now publishing their planning data openly and modern...
Introducing Local AI
Local AI is a new team in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), working...
New pilot to help councils identify and support residents at risk to vulnerability earlier
Local Digital is pleased to share that the Scalable Approach to Vulnerability via Interoperability (...
International Women’s Day: Giving, growing and leading in digital
To celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026 on Sunday, 8 March, 4 colleagues in leadership rol...
Shaping the future of open data with Open Data Communities
A screenshot of the homepage of the new Open Data Communities platform Open data plays a vital role ...
Deliver grant funding and Access grant funding: a digital service built to last
To build a house, you need a sound infrastructure. There’s no point in designing a kitchen that meet...
A new digital and cyber playbook to support local government during reorganisation
We are pleased to share that the first release of our Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) Digital ...
What user research taught us about designing useful digital planning case studies
Case studies are widely used in government to share learning, explain what has been tried, and help ...
Stress-testing an AI tool to explore its potential for faster local plans and greater citizen engagement
Local plan consultations can generate thousands of responses from members of the public, the develop...
Progressing my senior developer career with an apprenticeship
National Apprenticeship Week is a chance to showcase the impact of apprenticeships on both individua...
Funding Service: How we built a new funding platform for MHCLG
Over the past year, the Funding Service has been building a new funding platform for the Ministry of...
Testing new planning data standards with industry: what we learned from phase 1 and where we go next
In November we shared details of 5 pilots testing new data standards for planning applications. Thes...