Geospatial Foundation Models and their embeddings have emerged as one of the most exciting developments in AI. In this post, the AI Lab in MHCLG introduces the concept of image embeddings and their potential value for a central government department like MHCLG.
The Local AI programme in MHCLG is working with councils and the Local Government Association to support responsible AI adoption in local government. Drawing on insights from recent council drop-in sessions, this blog post shares what we heard and how we’re turning our learnings into practical support for the sector.
Open data plays a vital role in supporting transparency, accountability and innovation across the public sector. Find out about the recent changes we have made to our Open Data Communities platform, which helps inform better decision-making, support the development of new services and helps users better understand their areas.
Local AI has been working with councils to explore how AI could reduce repetitive tasks such as drafting personalised housing plans, helping officers spend more time on prevention, casework and supporting local people. The team has developed an AI case workspace proof of concept to test how this could be done in practice.
11 consortiums of technology companies, local planning and combined authorities have been selected for Round 6 of the Digital Planning Programme’s PropTech Innovation Fund, to pilot digital solutions targeting blockers to housing delivery.
The Renters’ Right Act changed the law for 11 million tenants who live in private properties in England and the 2.3 million landlords who rent them out. Find out how content design and policy teams worked together to help them prepare for the changes, and what the teams learnt on the journey.
GovPrint is a cross-government cloud-based service that lets civil servants securely print documents from any enabled location. In this post, our Live Services team explains how it rolled out GovPrint across MHCLG offices, and how this shared solution supports our efficiency and sustainability ambitions.
A new AI planning prototype, developed with Google DeepMind and Faculty, is being tested with three local planning authorities to help officers process applications faster. The tool analyses applications and surfaces relevant policies while planning officers remain the key decision makers. Our ambition is to halve processing times for householder applications.
Extract, a new AI-powered tool developed by MHCLG's Digital Planning Programme and i.AI, is now available for free, for every local planning authority in England. It converts planning documents into structured, usable data in minutes - cutting a process that can take officers up to two hours down to just two on average.
The Digital Connect team (formerly Common Tools) in MHCLG builds standardised, reliable and reusable tools and platforms for everyone within the department. They help teams be more efficient and reduce operational costs. Learn how they’ve built Managing Local Conversations, a user-centred internal service that standardises engagement processes and makes insights easier to access.
