As county and district councils prepare for mergers, MHCLG tells tech teams to create a single public website for launch day, but internal systems may take five years to merge
As authorities around the country prepare for a major reorganistion of local government structures, digital and data professionals have been encouraged to “frame day one as minimum viable council”.
This should include the creation of a single, unified website and customer service shopfront to be presented to citizens from launch day – but underpinning IT systems may take up to five years to merge, central government guidelines indicate.
Between now and 2028, the local government reorganisation (LGR) initiative will bring about the abolishment of all two-tier local-authority models, in which county councils sit above district councils. Scores of existing councils will be scrapped as 21 areas across England are each brought under the control of a unitary authority, combining current upper- and lower-tier bodies into one organisation.
As organisations get ready for this massive revamp, central government’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published the Local Government Reorganisation Digital and Cyber Playbook. The guidance document – which was prepared by MHCLG’s specialist Local Digital unit, working in concert with local authorities – is intended to “support councils navigating the digital, data, technology and cyber aspects” of LGR.
The playbook, which will be updated and iterated over time, has been published with three key areas of focus: being ready for day one; collaboration and baselining; and managing expectations.
In the latter case, the guidelines are intended to help technologists in “communicating complexity, setting realistic timelines, and aligning political, staff and resident expectations” during the overhaul.
Digital and data pros are advised that “visible leadership helps maintain trust, morale and focus”.
In their work with members, senior managers and colleagues from other disciplines, tech leaders are urged to “frame day one as minimum viable council: safe, legal, operational – not fully transformed”.
Communications and plans should include a “five-year transformation roadmap” – but also clear information about “what is not happening on day one [and that] there is no forced unification”. Ambitions and timelines should be informed by “a skills and system audit to see who can support what activities, as job titles vary from council to council”.
Visual forms of communicating are particularly effective, MHCLG advises.
“Multiple councils are merging systems, contracts, processes, networks, data and ways of working,” the playbooks says. “This creates complexity. If this is communicated in a way that feels overly direct – [such as] ‘it’s too complicated’ – staff can feel overwhelmed, anxious or disengaged, especially those who do not work in digital.”
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To ensure “being ready for day one”, digital teams should establish a “clear, achievable baseline… positioning the organisation for longer-term transformation”.
The key technological element new councils should prepare for launch day is “a single front door” through which citizens can access services and information.
“The most successful day-one strategies focus on presenting residents with a unified experience, including a single website, phone number, and brand, while keeping existing systems running behind the scenes,” the playbook says. “This avoids the risk of rushing complex system migrations before vesting day.”
Behind the single shopfront presented to the public, many legacy and discrete IT systems are likely to remain in place for some time after councils are merged in name, the guidance says.
“This veneer approach delivers a ‘one council’ experience without forcing early system migration, which can take up to five years to complete,” the document adds. “It gives residents a single, trusted front door while allowing the council time to redesign services properly. It is fast, reliable, and achievable, allowing councils to meet day one deadlines. Many councils have used LocalGov Drupal to build their day-one website quickly and cost effectively. It is an open-source platform built collaboratively by councils, now used by over 60 authorities.”
Visibility and risk
The area of “collaboration and baselining” relates to the need for “establishing a clear, shared view of the systems, contracts, data and capabilities that exist across the councils involved in reorganisation”.
“Early collaboration and agreed baselines lead to smoother day one transitions and faster transformation,” the playbook says. “Most reorganisation challenges are caused by organisational disconnects and lack of visibility across departments.”
Meetings between respective digital units should get underway as soon as possible – “even before final unitary decisions” are made, MHCLG advises.
As well as leaders of digital, data and cyber teams, tech chiefs should also consult finance, procurement, legal, data protection, and HR managers, as well as those involved in “resilience and emergency planning” and “service owners for statutory and high-risk services”.
The baselining exercise should examine the critical services, systems – including any shared services – contracts nearing expiry, bespoke tools, sensitive data sets, and “known areas of operational or workforce risk” across each council affected by LGR.
“Baselining often reveals risks that are not shown in organisational charts or programme plans,” the guidance says. “Identifying these early allows councils to manage them deliberately rather than discovering them close to vesting day or during live service delivery.”
