To mark International Women’s Day 2025 on 8 March, four colleagues driving government innovation across AI, cyber and technology share their unique experiences, challenges and perspectives on gender equality, offering inspiration and insight, particularly for women who aspire to build a career in similar fields.

Our Cyber Assessment Framework Service Owner, Katie Owen, shares the importance of gender equality in the workplace.

Meet the women shaping AI, cyber and technology in MHCLG

Our team attended the iNetwork’s Innovation Awards on 27 February. The awards celebrate the public sector, and its partner organisations, as they strive to deliver effective, and better value services for their communities.

Local Digital’s Defend as One Collaboration and Engagement Manager, Phil James, judged the award for the ‘Effective Information Sharing and Security’ category.

Phil shared, “It was a fabulous evening mixing with councils, health and the fire and rescue service from the North West and Yorkshire and Humber regions who are all doing some fantastic work to improve digital and cyber security.”

Visit the iNetwork’s website for full information on the award categories and winners.

The Warning, Advice and Reporting Point (WARP) meetings bring together information security, assurance, and governance practitioners from local government.

Local Digital team members regularly attend WARP meetings to:

• provide updates on the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) for local government

• share our plans to support the sector to ‘Defend as One’

• gather feedback from WARP members on how the service can be improved

The WARPs are a great way to receive and share up-to-date advice and information on security threats, incidents, and solutions in a trusted environment.

Learn more about the WARPs and hear from members in our latest blog

The UK Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan was published on 26 February and includes a commitment to new funding to support local delivery of digital inclusion initiatives. The lead department, DSIT, is now seeking views to shape next steps in their call for evidence. Email digitalinclusion@dsit.gov.uk to share your views by Wednesday 9 April.

The LGA is spotlighting the achievements of women driving digital innovation in local government for Women’s History Month.

They want to hear your story for their blog. You can share your journey, the obstacles you’ve faced, and how you’ve navigated those challenges.

You can also nominate inspiring women within your network to tell them about the impact they have made on you, and why you feel they deserve recognition.

Submit a brief outline by Monday 17 March. 

LGA Blog Series: Breaking Barriers, Byte by Byte: Women Transforming Local Gov

This ‘unconference’ is for those interested in ensuring that public, community and worker voices are heard in decisions about data, digital and AI. This event may be useful for you if you are: 

• already working to engage the public through participatory processes or would like to do so in the future

• working directly with people and communities who are concerned about public sector uses of data, digital and AI, and want to make their voices heard

• engaging with members of the public on topics other than data, digital and AI and want to bring those topics into your conversations

LGA and techUK’s lunch and learn session will celebrate women in digital local government to wrap up International Women’s History Month 2025.

This is a great opportunity to hear from women in tech and innovation working in and around local public services, in the public sector and in industry.

You can access a collection of digital learning resources that have been developed for the sector following research and testing with councils. The resources introduce new approaches to designing products and services.

Access the resources