Think Digital Government 2026: 10 key takeaways

The latest Think Digital Government event brought together speakers from across central government, local authorities, policing, the NHS and industry to discuss the future of public sector transformation.

Across eleven sessions, several clear themes emerged, encompassing AI readiness and agile delivery to sustainability, innovation and citizen trust.

“This Think Digital Government conference offered a huge amount of insight and opinion from 30 expert speakers across eleven thought provoking and engaging sessions,” said Think Digital Partners founder, Matt Stanley.

“Topics varied from the Blueprint for Digital Government to inclusive design, and from fostering innovation to scaling no-code safely, with speakers coming from 20 different central and local government organisations offering a broad perspective on each these topics.

“Thank you to all our speakers, sponsors and delegates for making the day a huge success.”

Here are the key takeaways from the day.

1. AI success depends on strong data foundations

While AI dominated much of the discussion, speakers repeatedly stressed that successful adoption depends on data quality, governance and infrastructure rather than hype.

Sian Thomas MBE, chief data and AI officer at the Department for Business and Trade, highlighted the importance of explainability, transparency and evaluation, while several panellists warned that organisations often have more AI already in use than they realise.

2. Government must become genuinely agile

A recurring theme was that traditional delivery and funding models are struggling to keep pace with technological and geopolitical change.

Tina Churcher, chief digital & information officer, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), argued that organisations need to move beyond simply “doing agile”.

“There is no such thing as an agile project,” she said. “You either are or you are not agile.”

3. The biggest risk may be maintaining the status quo

Several speakers argued that public sector organisations often underestimate the risks of not changing. Madeline Hoskin, CTO at North Yorkshire Council, warned that traditional governance and planning approaches no longer match the speed of modern delivery environments.

“If you blink slightly too long, by the time you open your eyes, the world’s changed,” she said.

4. Local government innovation is now a necessity

Council leaders repeatedly highlighted the growing pressure created by social care demand, budget constraints and rising citizen expectations. Speakers argued that innovation is no longer optional for local authorities trying to maintain services.

5. Inclusion must be designed in from the start

Sessions on inclusive design stressed that accessibility cannot be treated as a compliance exercise or afterthought. Panellists warned against building services that only work for the “easy-to-reach” majority and argued that digital inclusion should underpin every stage of service design.

6. Low-code and automation are reshaping delivery models

A presentation from the Home Office showed how departments are using low-code tools to close long-standing operational gaps and empower staff to build solutions themselves.

Andy Dixon warned that government cannot simply “turn on” these tools without governance and guardrails, but argued they can play a major role in preparing organisations for AI-driven transformation.

7. Sustainability is becoming a mainstream digital issue

Digital sustainability emerged as a major topic throughout the day, particularly around energy use, procurement and device lifecycles.

DEFRA’s digital sustainability lead, Lydia Tabbron, told delegates that “cash equals carbon”, arguing that inefficient technology estates create both environmental and financial waste.

Speakers also warned that growing AI demand and datacentre expansion could create new resilience and energy challenges.

8. Procurement and governance need to evolve

Speakers from across government criticised lengthy business cases, rigid procurement processes and governance structures that can slow down innovation.

Gavin Hall, senior commercial lead, Commercial Innovation Hub, DSIT and Government Commercial Function, argued that procurement reform and more flexible commercial models will be critical to helping government innovate at pace.

9. Public sector organisations need stronger digital cultures

Several sessions focused on the importance of psychological safety, experimentation and leadership behaviour. Speakers argued that innovation depends as much on culture and confidence as technology itself, with leaders needing to create environments where teams feel safe to test ideas and learn from failure.

10. Trust will define the future of digital government

The event closed with a broader discussion around public trust, supplier relationships and the responsible use of data and AI.

Anthony Croxford, COO at Surrey and Sussex Police Force, said public sector organisations must become far clearer about how citizen data is used and managed.

“If we can’t do that, then we will lose the trust of the public,” he said.

Building trust in the next phase of digital government

As the event closed, speakers returned repeatedly to the issue of public trust.

Delegates acknowledged that citizens increasingly expect digital public services to match the ease and convenience of the private sector, but without sacrificing transparency, accountability or security. That means government must not only adopt new technologies, but also become better at explaining how they are used, what data is collected and where responsibility ultimately sits.