Digital Government North

The Digital Government Conference is coming to Manchester in September

The event is being marketed as the primary networking event for central government departments, local government authorities and the healthcare sector to announce new digital policy, showcase success stories and learn about the latest technology innovations.
    
Visitors are able to discover new tools and technologies to improve their organisation’s digital capabilities and learn about the latest trends in digital government. The conference offers the opportunity to network with other digital, data and technology professionals and get inspired to step up digital transformation efforts.
    
Themes this year include digital leadership, digital skills, digital identity, data analytics, cloud and digital divide.

Panels
A keynote panel on Levelling Up the North will discuss best practices to address the issue that the UK continues to stand out internationally as regionally unbalanced. The panel will look at topics like making the best of the Levelling Up fund, levelling up without levelling down other areas and using digital infrastructure to transform people’s lives in the North of England and Scotland. The panel will feature Helen Milner, chief executive of the Good Things Foundation; Robert Ling, director of transformation at North Yorkshire County Authority; Sarah Eynon, digital infrastructure programme director, Scottish Futures Trust and Tony Morgan, head of regional delivery north at Building Digital UK. The panellists will also discuss how to facilitate fibre development in local communities and how upskilling and reskilling initiatives can help to grow the local economy.
    
A second panel featuring James Winterbottom, director of strategy and innovation at Wigan Council; Phil Swan, director of digital at Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Robert Ling will discuss “Delivering Digital Transformation in the Current Climate: Working Smarter under Adversity”. The panel will look at how to improve the integration of digital with policymaking, why a strong business case should be at the heart of transformations and how to convince senior management to sustain digital transformations in the current climate. They will also consider how to ensure transformations are cost-effective and that the right values are prioritised within the budget; how to deliver digital services without contributing to compounding tech debt and how to use data to meet citizens’ expectations, cut costs and become more efficient.
    
Other speakers on the day include Matt Robinson, head of nations and regions at techUK; Megan Lee, chief executive at Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO); and Dr Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham is set to deliver an address entitled “Greater Manchester – doing digital differently”.

Visitor experience
Visitors to previous events have provided positive feedback. A representative from the Office for National Statistics said: “The opportunity to connect with others in ICT across government and hear from senior leaders in different departments is very valuable.”
    
An NHS visitor commented: “These events truly provide a brilliant platform for getting the latest up-to-date information and to share the visions of the future as well as to meet up and exchange opinions and ideas with the network of people that we would not have had an opportunity to meet otherwise.
    
The event is taking place at Manchester Central, in the centre of the city and easy to access by public transport.