Keep getting everything you can from your membership
Your events, training and resources
You’ll have at least seen Monday’s email about Digital Trends. There’s a lot to read and take in, and there’s time to do all that.
Want to skip to the highlights before tackling the whole thing? Focus for 2025: Reimagining services, cyber security and harnessing data
This week there’s a top 4 (in no special order) of hopefully relevant/useful/interesting things for you
- From UKAuthority: Delving into the digital government blueprint
- Social Value Engine has published AI for Social Value: a practical guide for local authorities
- East Midlands Special Operations Unit is running free webinars on the NCSC Active Cyber Defence tools in March and May
- Tewkesbury’s launched a blog and they kick off with a look at local government organisation. So, easing themselves in gently 😀
Take care. I hope you can have a great weekend.
Best wishes,
Alex.
In Your Resource Hub
Updated for 2025: Public Sector Digital Trends
Drawing on experiences from across the UK and internationally, the analysis is designed to help you plan your digital journey.
The whole thing: Public Sector Digital Trends: Beyond Borders
This year we’ve focused on three trends prioritised by our Local CIO Council and representatives from our international partners: Reimagining services, cyber security and harnessing data
Some things to think about: 10 key questions for public sector leaders
AI@Socitm 2.0
It’s easier and quicker to get to what you most need now we’ve reorganised the resources. This isn’t a static collection. New content is added regularly. Bookmark it and keep coming back.
New case study: Automating accounts payable processes – Hertfordshire Council
You might also like:
Tue-18-Feb | 12:00 to 13:00 | Ethics Professional: Data & AI Ethics Frameworks
Thu-20-Feb | 14:00 to 15:00 | LocalGov Drupal Community Meetup: Uses of AI
Wed-26-Feb | 11:00 to 13:00 | Safeguarding sensitive information with AI
You might have missed…
Watch Unlock the potential of your technology (with WeChange.AI)
For ease of viewing, the recordings are divided into easy to navigate chapters, with subtitles and transcript available via the video player toolbar.
You will need a user account on socitm.net to access member-only resources. Let us know if need any support.
Cyber security
Public Sector Digital Trends 2025
NEW Cyber security
As conflicts escalate beyond borders and across the globe, we’re all being urged to bolster our cyber defences. Making sure we’re protected from unauthorised access to data and systems, as well as preventing data loss or leakage, remains a top priority.
Watch Norfolk’s experience with the CAF for local government
You might also like:
Fri-7-Feb |10:30 to 12:00 | C-TAG Workshop: Securing your email domain
Wed-12-Feb | 13:00 to 14:00 | Cyber Incident Response: The last line of defence
Current attack scenarios we're facing and best practice for if/when they happen.
Thu-27-Feb | 11:00 to 13:00 | Anatomy of a DDoS Attack
Learn what happens, steps to defend against them, with best practice and expert advice. VP Kurt Frary (CTO at Norfolk) is one of the speakers
Thu-6-Mar | 09:00 to 16:00 | Cyber NI Conference [Belfast]
Thu-6-Mar | 09:00 to 16:00 | ISfL Annual Conference 2025 [London]
East Midlands Special Operations Unit is running free webinars on the NCSC Active Cyber Defence tools in March and May
Procurement in 2025
Are you ready for Monday 24 February?
NEW Briefing: Preparing for the new Procurement Act 2023
This briefing gives you the knowledge and tools you need to comply with the new Act.
Call for Case Studies
Are you preparing for the new Procurement Act 2023?
We would love to hear from you! We are seeking organisations willing to share their experiences to feature as a case study on Socitm.net. Examples of case study content we are looking to highlight include but is not limited to:
- General thoughts or experiences.
- A rolling blog/commentary on experiences of operating under the new Act.
- How is your organisation preparing?
- What your organisation is doing now to be compliant? For instance, employment of change agent managers or prioritising procurement at the top level.
- Social value in procurement: How important is social and environmental value to your organisation and what examples of this are you looking to get suppliers to deliver?
- How are you looking to take advantage of the new Competitive Flexible Procedure to deliver innovation?
Please contact yasmine.hajji@socitm.net to discuss further. We look forward to hearing from you and featuring your valuable insights.
You might also like:
Wed-12-Mar | 13:00 to 14:00 | Cloud marketplace: a new age of procurement

Accessibility and inclusion
Check your website’s Silktide Accessibility Score
If you’re competitive, see where you’re council ranks in the index for January.
Follow Silktide’s YouTube series: What in the World is WCAG?. Their most recent video is 3.1 Readable. #LearnWithCats
Fill out your Digital Accessibility Maturity Assessment
Hassell lnclusion’s DAMA is a comprehensive self-assessment of your current level of digital accessibility maturity.
Next accessibility-themed webinars
Fri-5-Feb | 13:00 to 14:00 | AI – What impact does it have on Digital Accessibility?
Thu-27-Feb | 16:00 to 17:00 | Debunking Accessibility Myths
PAUSE
Creating fair and equitable organisations and services is everybody’s responsibility. Take time to reflect and review on your approach and identify where there may be gaps in the way in which you do things. Pause – reflect – act
Next core skills course
Tue-4-Mar | 09:30 to 12:30 | Equality, Diversity and Inclusion | 1 point
Training
Build your confidence and resilience to develop and better apply your skills, ideas, and experience.
In-person leadership courses
- Mon-24 to Tue-25-Feb and Wed-21 to Thu-22-May | Top Talent | Leeds | 4 points
Read: What the VUCA!?@* for a flavour for what you’ll cover. - Thu-27 and Fri-28-Feb | Place-based Leadership | London | 4 points
BTW This is the only London-based course this year.
Online core skills courses
- FULLY BOOKED Tue-4-Feb | How to be an Effective Coach | 1 point
It’s also running (and with spaces available) in May, July and October. - Wed-12 and Thu-13-Feb Change Agent Intensive | 0 points
- Tue-4-Mar | Equality, Diversity and Inclusion | 1 point
Can’t make the date? You can join it in June, October or November.
Things happen. If you can’t make the date of your training course let us know ASAP and we’ll get you onto the next suitable one available. And your training points will transfer with you.
Please note: non-attendance without letting us know will mean training points getting deducted from your organisation’s annual total.
Your annual membership includes training
Get your guide to using training points. Don’t have enough or you’ve run out? Let us know.
Log in to your user account for an up-to-date number of available training points on the day that you check.
Any questions, just ask us.
How was your course? Tell us about it and be a training champion 🙂
What don’t you know?
Survey end users’ skills to prioritise your future training needs. Get started with a user skills survey.
This year the user skills survey could be the complementary benchmarking module you use with your membership.

Better data improves everything
NEW for your membership (in 2025 ONLY) Use one benchmarking module. Choose from: cost, delivery, performance or user skills.
You want evidence to support your business cases, and insight into positive changes you can make. Get a concise overview of your service coupled with data to support it.
Never benchmarked before? Know what you’d doing and want to get going? Let benchmarking boss 😉 Matthew Fraser know and he’ll support you as much or as little as you need: benchmarking@socitm.net
Read more about what you can do and how in the Benchmarking Services Help Centre.
Next benchmarking webinar:
Fri-7-Feb | 13:00 to 14:00 | Choosing and using your benchmarking module: an introduction
Events
Member-only meetings
Meet people for catching-up, problem sharing (and solving) and great networking.
- Fri-7-Feb Choosing and using your benchmarking module on Teams
- Thu-20-Feb Meeting for Northern Ireland in Belfast
President’s Conference: Beyond Borders
Key date for your 2025 calendar: Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 June 2025
Make sure this is in your diary so you can join everyone back in Birmingham for your annual members’ conference.
You’ll be joined by members from the UK and guests from the Linked Organisation of Local Authority ICT Societies (LOLA). LOLA includes organisations from Australia, Belgium, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, UK and USA. Socitm is the only UK member.
Create connections with people from outside the UK and Europe to bring best practice from wherever you find it to your team, place, and community.
Free webinars and meetings hosted by Socitm
- Wed-5-Feb AI – What impact does it have on digital accessibility?
- Tue-11-Feb Using Intelligent Automation to Meet the Challenges Facing Local Government
- Wed-12-Feb Cyber Incident Response: The last line of defence
- Wed-26-Feb AI in action: 3 examples of AI solving real council challenges
- Wed-12-Mar Cloud marketplace: a new age of procurement
- Wed-19-Mar Mastering IT service delivery challenges with ITIL4 processes
Missed one? Recordings of Socitm webinars are available in the Resource hub.
Webinars are open to anyone in the public sector, membership is not necessary, so please do share them with your network.
Mostly free webinars and events hosted by partners and others
February
- Tue-4-Feb
- 08:00 Breakfast roundtable Devolution, data, and decision-makers: unlocking the potential of data in local government [London]
- 09:30 to 16:30 Public Sector Cyber Security Scotland 2025 [Edinburgh]
- Wed-5-Feb Chief Data and Analytical Officers Network Annual Conference 2025 [London]
- Thu-6-Feb Public Sector Cyber Security Conference 2025 [London]
- Thu-6 to Fri-7-Feb Solace East Midlands Conference [Nottingham]
- Thu-13 to Fri-14-Feb Solace Wales Conference [Cardiff]
- Tue-25-Feb Cyber Security 2025 [Glasgow]
- Wed-26-Feb
- 09:00 to 17:00 HETT North [Manchester]
It’s free for you to attend. Got private sector colleagues? check your newsletter for a code to get 10% off their registration. - 11:00 to 12:00 Safeguarding sensitive information with AI
- 09:00 to 17:00 HETT North [Manchester]
- Thu-27-Feb
- 08:00 to 19:00 AWS Public Sector Day 2025 [London]
- 11:00 to 12:00 Anatomy of a DDoS Attack – VP Kurt Frary (CTO at Norfolk) is one of the speakers
- 16:00 to 17:00 Debunking Accessibility Myths
March
- Wed-5-Mar Request to attend the Microsoft AI Tour in London
- Wed-5 to Fri-7-Mar Powering Digital Public Services 2025
- Thu-6-Mar
- 09:00 to 16:00 Cyber NI Conference [Belfast]
- 10:00 to 16:00 ISfL Annual Conference 2025 [London]
Socitm will be at both of these conferences.
- Wed-19-Mar GovTech Show and Exhibitor 2025 Check your newsletter for a member-only code to register free of charge.
Using healthcare AI technologies in Wales
NHS Wales | CEDAR | Welsh Value in Health Centre
Healthcare organisations in Wales want to know what would encourage you to have/stop you from having AI technologies used to support making healthcare decisions.
The information they collect will help make sure that if such AI technologies are designed and used, it will happen in a way that is acceptable to patients and healthcare staff.
They’ll use the survey information to write reports, articles or give presentations.
Thank you for reading (or scrolling) this far! Just one more thing…
How to make better decisions at work
In this Squiggly Careers podcast episode, Helen talks to Dan Ariely about how his work on decision making can inform our career thinking and help us to make better choices.