As councils look to transform their services and technology continues to change, we are likely to see an acceleration in the use of digital solutions.

Opportunities could cover the breadth of council services, whether focused on improving communication with service users, increasing efficiency or improving access to services. But are councils well placed to exploit these opportunities and achieve value for money in the process?

We undertook a review of the strategic approaches to digital in each of the 22 principal councils in Wales. Overall, we found that, while many councils recognise the role digital can play in delivering their longer-term ambitions, weaknesses in their approaches pose value for money risks.

We found that, councils were often not clear on how they were going to fund their ambitions. We found weaknesses in monitoring the impact and value for money of digital projects. They could also do more to involve citizens and work in partnership with other organisations to help achieve their long-term objectives.

We found some examples of good practice for councils to take note.

• Powys Council views digital as pivotal for driving transformational improvement to all services. The Council’s digital strategy is supported by three business cases which set out funding over three years. The first two business cases allocated over £5.2 million for 2019 to 2025 and the third has secured £3.9 million for the next four years. The business cases clearly set out the risks, as well as possible mitigating actions. By allocating such funding to support the digital strategy and assessing the risks, the Council is increasing the likelihood that it will deliver its intended outcomes.
• Neath Port Talbot Council’s Digital Strategy is closely aligned to key long-term strategies, including its corporate plan, which states its digital intentions in 5 years and in 20 years, it’s strategic change and decarbonisation programmes. It established a Digital Transformation Board to drive the prioritisation of activities and ensure links to corporate priorities. The Council also works with partners outside the organisation to deliver its digital ambitions.
• Swansea City Council is undertaking many different collaborative activities with other councils in the region, the private sector and the third sector to improve digital connectivity, digital infrastructure, digital inclusion, and digital skills. They have also considered how the digital strategy can contribute to the Well-being of Future Generations Act’s national well-being goals, developing success factors based on the Act’s sustainable development principle.

We identified five key areas for improvement across the 22 councils relating to evidence, collaboration, resourcing, impact and learning. These lessons will apply to each council differently, so we encourage councils to consider them in the context of their individual reports.

1. They could draw on a broader evidence base to inform a long term, citizen-centred approach to digital.
2. They could go further in working across internal boundaries and with external partners to deliver maximum value from their digital strategies.
3. They could do more to identify the benefits that could be achieved, and the resources required to help them turn ambition into reality.
4. They need to make sure they can assess the impact of their digital strategies and individual projects.
5. They could take a more systematic approach to learning, so they can adapt and improve their work on digital.