Ways of working
Innovation was sparked at the Local Government Innovation Hackathon, where 150 planners, technologists and digital leaders collaborated to solve real planning challenges. MHCLG proudly co-organised the event with Government Digital Service, Incubator for AI and Open Digital Planning, reimagining planning services through this hands-on approach.
Delta is the main platform MHCLG uses to collect data and make payments. It helps the department make policy decisions, release national statistics and process payments to local authorities. Read how the Funding Service transformed Delta based on user needs.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) Digital Planning Programme coordinates Open Digital Planning (ODP) – a cross-sector partnership of forward-thinking local planning authorities (LPAs) working together to create a more efficient, data-driven planning system.
Over the last 4 years, we’ve worked closely with council officers to understand their technology and data challenges and have used these insights to drive meaningful change.
Through collaboration between HM Land Registry and Local Planning Authorities, the Digital Planning team is working on a joined-up approach to reduce the burden of providing the data needed for local land charges and planning purposes. Previously submitting similar data to different systems, our new way of working will make the process more efficient.
User researcher James joined MHCLG Digital just over a year ago, following a few years in the private sector. He shares his journey on the Homes for Ukraine programme, and how user research and starting with the needs of the users is shaping MHCLG products and services, creating a real impact for citizens, and more broadly transforming policy and service design.
Policy professionals can learn a lot from the world of digital. In this blog post, Reuben, Policy Design Lead in MHCLG’s Funding Service team, shares insights he’s gained on user-centred design, agile working and cross-team collaboration.
The first collaborative sessions with the planning community to develop data specifications for planning applications have taken place. Find out about the ambition, the progress being made and how you can get involved.
Find out how a recent hackathon was used to start to build an app, based on open planning datasets, which could be used to help identify brownfield land for development.
This year’s World Mental Health Day theme is ‘workplace mental health’. In this post, our colleague Noor talks about some of the mental health initiatives he has led on and been involved in whilst at MHCLG, and shares some insights and tips on how employers can support mental health in the workplace.
A career in MHCLG Digital is open to everyone regardless of their background. The Civil Service Summer Internship Programme fosters an inclusive environment and welcomes individuals from all academic paths, giving them a chance to experience working in the Civil Service. In this post Megan, healthcare student and summer intern in MHCLG, shares her experience within the Local Digital team.
