Welcome to our newsletter, bringing you all the latest from the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government. In this newsletter, we bring you a detailed update on what has been happening throughout the last month and details of upcoming activities.
If you have any queries regarding any of the content within this newsletter, please get in touch.
We're pleased to announce that the deadline for COSLA Excellence Awards nominations has been extended until 5.00 pm on Friday 7 August.
We know how much time and care goes into preparing a strong nomination and we hope this additional time will give you the opportunity to recognise the outstanding achievements of your team and partners who deserve to be celebrated.
These awards represent a fantastic opportunity for councils and their partners to recognise the great work, talent and innovation across Local Government.
The prizegiving ceremony will take place on Thursday, 19th November 2026, at Fairmont, St Andrews, as part of COSLA's Annual Conference. All Excellence Awards finalist teams will be invited along.
Further to our previous update, over the coming months, we will be bringing councils together to review emerging themes from local digital strategies, explore opportunities for collaboration and identify a set of core digital transformation fundamentals that could support a more consistent approach across the sector. This includes considering where joint delivery plans, shared initiatives or collective investment could help accelerate progress while still supporting local priorities and outcomes.
To support this work, we are inviting councils to submit their current Digital Strategy and any associated digital delivery plans, transformation roadmaps or supporting strategies. These documents will help us understand the priorities already being pursued across the sector, identify common themes and prepare for a series of collaborative discussions focused on:
Core digital transformation foundations and enablers.
Shared challenges and opportunities.
National and regional collaboration opportunities.
Potential joint delivery plans.
Once for Scotland approaches to common priorities.
Opportunities for shared investment and resource.
Thank you to those of you who have already shared the requested documents with us and for those of you haven’t, this is a gentle reminder and your opportunity to get involved. We encourage councils to submit their latest strategies, supporting plans and nominate colleagues who would be interested in participating in future workshops and discussion to info@digitaloffice.scot.
Cyber Scotland Partnership's Summer Campaign: Stay Alert and Secure Your Summer.
The Digital Office is proud to support theCyberScotlandPartnership's Secure Summer campaign, encouraging citizens across Scotland to think ahead and stay alert online. Cyber criminals often take advantage of holiday plans, festival and event bookings, and online shopping habits through scams such as fake holiday listings, phishing emails, and fraudulent ticket sales. Throughout the summer, we'll be sharing practical advice and resources which local authorities can re-share on their channels to help keep our communities safe online.
If you would like access to the social media assets to use on your channels or to be tagged in our social posts, please contact info@digitaloffice.scot.
Blog: Service Design Champion Courses for Scottish Local Authorities.
A new Service Design Champions course has been delivered to 25 councils through two training cohorts since May.
The course was developed by the Scottish Government’s Office of the Chief Designer and delivered in collaboration with the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government. Its aim is to upskill colleagues from local authorities in service design and participation. It introduces the basics of service design and shows the value of involving people who use public services in how they are designed.
Earlier this year, the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government and the Local Government Service Design Group worked with the Scottish Government to refresh the Scottish Approach to Service Design.
The course is the result of this collaboration. The training reinforces the key principles and approach set out in the Scottish Approach to Service Design, which acts as a guide to improving participation in design of public services.
Find out more about the course in our blog by Ewan Ferguson and Synnøve Frøiland.
Engage Process: Building a Once for Scotland Community for Process Improvement.
The Engage Process community continues to grow, bringing together councils and partners to share process improvement expertise, reduce duplication and support better service delivery across Scotland. As more organisations join the platform, we are seeing increasing opportunities to collaborate on common challenges, reuse existing work and develop shared approaches to service improvement.
As part of the next phase of the programme, we are evolving towards a more community-led model, with councils taking a greater role in shaping discussions, hosting sessions and showcasing their own improvement journeys. This approach will help strengthen peer learning, build local ownership and ensure the community remains sustainable and driven by the needs of its members.
To support the continued growth of the community, we are looking for councils and practitioners who would be interested in becoming Community Co-Leads. As a Community Co-Lead, you will help shape priorities, identify topics for discussion, support community activities and champion collaboration across the sector. This is an opportunity to influence a growing national community, showcase your organisation's experience and help drive a Once for Scotland approach to process improvement. Community Co-Leads may support by:
Hosting online or in-person community sessions.
Sharing case studies, process maps and lessons learned.
Helping identify emerging priorities and challenges.
Supporting collaborative improvement projects.
Encouraging participation and knowledge sharing across the sector.
Contributing to the development of shared standards, guidance and resources.
If your council would like to become more involved in the Engage Process community, contribute to the shared library, host a future session, or explore becoming a Community Co-Lead, we would love to hear from you at info@digitaloffice.scot.
Common Solution Register Update.
The Digital Office has established (and is working with) with a short life working group drawn from the Digital Leaders network to develop the objectives and requirements for a Common Solution Register for Scottish local government and the wider public sector. This work supports delivery of the Digital Public Services Delivery Plan commitment to establish a public sector register of common solutions and components, helping to promote greater reuse, collaboration and consistency across the sector.
Through this collaborative work, the group has established two primary objectives. The first is to provide a definitive source of national solutions and components that have been designed for reuse across the public sector and local government, making it easier for councils to discover, evaluate and adopt existing capabilities. The second is to provide a mechanism for peer-to-peer sharing of resources between councils, including AI agents, workflows, low-code applications and other reusable digital assets. These objectives are intended to support a "reuse before rebuild" approach, reducing duplication and enabling councils to build on existing investments and good practice from across Scotland.
The next phase of work will focus on refining and validating requirements with councils and partners to ensure the register delivers practical value for the sector. We will also continue engagement with Scottish Government to ensure local government perspectives continue to inform national activity, identify opportunities for collaboration, and support collective progress towards the shared ambitions of the Digital Public Services Delivery Plan.
Microsoft Licencing Aggregated Procurement Opportunity.
The latest Microsoft licence aggregation has now progressed, with a number of councils from across Scotland taking part.
Led by the Digital Office in partnership with Scotland Excel and the Government Commercial Agency (GCA), the aggregation helps councils align their Microsoft licence renewals, reducing the need for individual procurement exercises and creating opportunities for cost avoidance through a co-ordinated approach to the market.
If your council has an upcoming Microsoft licence renewal and you'd like to explore whether a future aggregation could be a good fit, please get in touch with Monika or Euan. We'd be happy to discuss upcoming opportunities and how your organisation could get involved.
M365 Labelling and Classification Update.
We're pleased to confirm that the kick-off workshop for M365 Labelling and Classification will take place on Friday 7 August, 10am - 11:30am. This session will provide an opportunity to introduce the workstream, discuss the planned approach and begin shaping the activity of the working group.
If you would like to attend the kick-off workshop and join the working group, please contact Monika or Euan. You can also read a more detailed overview of the workstream on the Digital Office Resource Centre.
Housing Providers: Is Your Telecare Migration Plan Ready?
The January 2027 analogue switch-off is fast approaching, with around 125 working days remaining. In the latest housing blog, Sharon Hannah outlines the practical steps housing providers should be taking now to safeguard residents, reduce service disruption and prepare for a smooth transition to digital telecare.
The blog highlights:
Why housing providers need to assess current telecare provision now.
How resident needs should drive migration decisions.
Alternatives to traditional warden call systems, including digital dispersed alarms.
Real-world examples from housing providers already making the transition.
Free support, guidance and case studies available through the Digital Telecare programme.
GovCamp Scotland, a day of shared learning and collaboration is back!
GovCamp Scotland 2026 is organised by volunteers from Research Data Scotland, the Ministry of Housing, Social Security Scotland, and the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government, who contribute their time and expertise because they believe in the value of learning from one another.
This isn’t your typical conference. There’s no fixed agenda, keynote speakers or hierarchy. Instead, the day is shaped by the people in the room, creating space for open conversations, fresh ideas and shared experiences focused on improving public services. It’s open to anyone working across public services and beyond. Whether you’re in design, policy, delivery, data, research, there’s a place for you here. You don’t need to come with answers. You just need to be curious and willing to join in.
In previous years, GovCamp has created conversations sparking new ideas, collaborations, and fresh ways of thinking about the challenges we all face. Some of the best bits happen in the spaces between sessions. Spaces are limited and we’re aiming for a fair mix of people from the public sector, local government and the third sector. If that sounds like something you’d get value from, we’d love to see you there.
Date: Monday 21st September Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm Location: Edinburgh Futures Institute
Scottish AI Community In-Person Workshop: Monday 28th September.
Following a series of virtual sessions, the Scottish AI Community co-led by the Digital Office, City of Edinburgh, Perth & Kinross and Renfrewshire Councils, is coming together in person for a unique collaborative workshop designed to strengthen connections, share learning, and accelerate the practical adoption of AI across local government. The event is intended to move beyond discussion and focus on collective action, helping councils learn from one another and build a stronger, more connected AI community across Scotland.
What to Expect
Hosted by Perth & Kinross Council, this interactive working day will bring together leaders and practitioners from across Scottish local government to:
Share AI activity, successes and challenges from councils across Scotland.
Explore common opportunities and barriers to AI adoption.
Learn from evidence ed demonstrations and practical examples.
Collaborate on shared challenges through facilitated cross council working groups.
Build relationships that support ongoing learning and collaboration.
Agree concrete actions that can be taken forward within councils and across the wider community.
The day is designed as a working session rather than a traditional conference, with a focus on producing tangible outcomes, shared resources and clear commitments for future collaboration.
Date: Monday 28th September 2026
Time: 10am - 3pm
Venue:Civic Hall (2 High Street), Lunch provided.
Due to this event being in person, we are limiting attendance to 2 attendees per council. Please register using the link below. If you would like further information, or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@digitaloffice.scot..
Leadership in Practice Webinar-Reflections from the Journey: Tuesday 1st September.
What does it take to grow as a leader in an increasingly digital world?
Join the Digitally Enabled Workforce Team on Tuesday 1 September 2026, 1pm to 2pm, for an inspiring webinar exploring the real-life leadership journeys of professionals working across health, social care, housing, social work, charities and the third sector.
Hear first-hand reflections on how postgraduate education, practical experience, projects and opportunities have shaped their development as leaders, and gain valuable insights into:
Applying learning in the workplace
Leading effectively in the digital age
Lessons learned throughout leadership journeys
Building your impact as a digital leader
Whether you're developing your own leadership skills or supporting digital transformation within your organisation, this session offers practical advice and real-world experiences to help you grow your confidence and capability as a leader.
