The UK Government is assembling a panel of 12 digital professionals and academics to help it make better use of technology across the public sector.
The group will help create a 10-year vision for a ‘digital centre’ of government to “drive innovation, transform services, improve lives, and unlock the full potential of digital and data.”
Co-chaired by successful start-up founder Baroness Martha Lane Fox and Chair of the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) Paul Willmott, the group will help the government plan changes to how technology is used across public services in a bid to cut backlogs, improve service outcomes and make government services more accessible.
It brings in industry expertise, including Poppy Gustafson, the founder of Darktrace, as well as prominent advocates for digital inclusion and skills, such as Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon.
The move forms part of wider efforts to launch the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) DSIT as the digital centre of government. Soon after Labour’s win at the General Election in July, it announced DSIT would bring in experts in data, digital and AI from the Government Digital Service (GDS) the CDDO and the Incubator for AI (iAI).
Together, the teams currently build and manage GOV.UK, the primary platform for accessing government services and information, and lead a network of more than 28,000 technology professionals across the public sector.
“Poor technology slows down public services too often, when new tools should be cutting waiting lists and taking the burden from citizens and the taxpayer. That is why DSIT has become the centre for digital government,” said AI and Digital Government Minister Feryal Clark (pictured).
“We will be bold in our plans with this new responsibility, and the external expertise we are bringing in to advise us will help deliver on our shared ambitions to improve public services and drive sustainable growth that works for everyone.
- Martha Lane Fox – Entrepreneur and crossbench peer (Co-Chair)
- Poppy Gustafsson OBE – Technology entrepreneur and co-founder of Darktrace
- Paul Willmott – Chair of the Central Digital and Data Office (Co-Chair)
- Jeni Tennison – Founder and Executive Director of Connected by Data
- Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE – Social Entrepreneur, computer scientist, CEO of Stemettes
- Lou Cordwell – Professor of Innovation, University of Manchester
- Aaron Maniam – Fellow of Practice and Director, Digital Transformation Education, Blavatnik School of Government
- David Eaves – Co-Deputy Director and Associate Professor at UCL
- Sarah Hunter – Technology Policy Advisor, Board member at ARIA and Former Director of Global Public Policy at ‘X the Moonshot Factory’
- Lisa Harrington – Tech and Growth Advisor
- Josie Cluer – Partner, People Consulting, EY
- Lord Richard Allan – Technology Adviser
