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Newsletter: You’re doing it all again in 2026

Authors and contributors: Alexandra Murphy
2026

Don’t do it alone, your Socitm community is here when you need us.

We’ve started the year supporting the LGA recruitment campaign for local government. What’s working for you? Share your projects to spark conversations and inspire others. 

Don’t forget the retention part of the process. Mentoring can greatly help there. Volunteer with Socitm and inspire someone to achieve their personal and career objectives. And if you’ve got an Enhanced or Executive membership package, make sure to use your organisation’s 4/8 hours of leadership development coaching support this year.

Keep getting everything you can from your membership. You’re the most vital part of this community.

In your membership: content and people

Browse your members-only resource hub.

Illustration of a woman sitting at a desk and reading a book that is so large only her head can be seen. to her left is a mug of hot drink.

What’s in your 2026 membership?

Log in to My Account for your organisation’s package details.

Plus, member-only discounts for:

WeChange.AI‘s Framework for Change.

Place Insight: your own social progress index [England-only]

Courses (handpicked by Institute Director Sam Smith) with the IT Management and Leadership Institute, Leadership Through Data, and QA

    How can local government harness data effectively without access to data tools?

    Mon-9-Feb | 14:00 to 16:00 | Improving Access to Python and R | Teams

    Tell us how you’re using (or not) advanced data processing tools such as Python or R. Your perspective is crucial in exploring how IT and data teams can collaborate effectively to streamline processes.

    Know someone that should join? Get in touch with matthew.fraser@socitm.net(opens in new tab).

    Share what’s working for you
    If you were at an in-person event, that thing you’ve been working on (or have already done) might have been exactly what the person next to you needed to fix a problem or project they’re working on. The next best virtual alternative is sharing that thing in a case study or blog post.

    Your experiences and perspectives matter, so please share them with members.

    " "

    In your membership: Courses

    Registration is open for 2026 courses.

    Bring your favourite course in-house
    Which course have enjoyed the most? With slight adjustment, could it meet the requirements of your whole team or organisation?

    We can personalise training for you and deliver it in house.

    Please just ask about it and how much it might cost on hello@socitm.net

    Registering for training
    Read your guide to using training points. Log in for the current number of available points. Don’t have enough or you’ve run out? Let us know.
    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.

    Browse the 2026 calendar
    National conference Sheffield 2024

    In your membership: events

    Lunchtime webinars from 13:00 to 14:00

    Wed-21-Jan | Why should you care about Information Governance (IG) in a technology world? | Teams | Hosts: Leadership Through Data
    Discover (or reminder yourself) why IG remains essential for managing data complexity, ensuring compliance, and building trust. 

    Wed-28-Jan | Data (Use and Access) Act starts with 1 thing: knowing your data | Teams | Hosts: Safe Online
    Make sure you know what DUAA really requires and why visibility of your data is the foundation of compliance.

    Fri-30-Jan | Future-proofing infrastructure: Strategic connectivity for smarter public services | Teams | Hosts: Commsworld (with North Lanarkshire Council)
    Explore how to use high-powered fibre networks, embrace alt-nets, and align connectivity decisions with your long-term digital ambitions.

    Lunchtime webinars from 13:00 to 14:00

    President’s Conference 2026
    Socitm at 40: From legacy to leadership
    Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 June | London SW6 1UD
    Registration is open for next year’s annual conference. Get it into your calendar now. Review the past 40 years with us and carry on the search for what works best now and next for our local public services.
    Wanted: your Socitm memories, milestones and photos for our 40th birthday.

    Partners’ events and updates

    January

    February

    March

    ICS.AI highlights Scotland as blueprint for next generation AI-powered public services as Renfrewshire wins top council award

    Renfrewshire Council has been recognised as a leading example of AI-powered public services following multiple national award wins, supported by its partnership with public sector AI specialist ICS.AI.

    The council’s AI phone assistant, Millie, has handled more than 392,000 resident calls, resolving around 40% of enquiries without human intervention and supporting nearly 100,000 out-of-hours interactions.

    The initiative has reduced pressure on contact centre teams, improved access to services, and demonstrated high accuracy across regional accents.

    Its success has helped position Scotland as a blueprint for next-generation digital public services and has given Renfrewshire the confidence to explore wider AI use cases through a council-wide AI assessment.

    Wed-25-Feb | From AI trial to council-wide confidence. How Renfrewshire transformed their customer services

    How Somerset created a single front door through their unitary organisation

    With more of you preparing to merge into unitary authorities, Kerv is focusing on Somerset Council. They had to bring together 5 separate authorities, each with their own disparate contact centres, into 1 central cohesive point of contact.

    Join them next month when Gareth Denslow, Service Manager for Customer Access will cover: 

    • How Somerset united 155 council functions, 1,073 separate services and 5 different contact centres into a single point of contact for residents
    • How voicebots, self-service and triaging have been a game changer, ensuring residents are directed quickly and efficiently to the right departments
    • The benefits and outcomes for local residents and agents.

    Thu-5-Feb | 11:00 to 12:00 | Roundtable: How Somerset created a single front door through their unitary organisation

    Thank you for reading (or scrolling) this far! Just one more thing…

    A few of the things I’ve been looking at (and sharing with colleagues) this week:

    1. Stop the Stress Cycle
    2. Women in DDaT network sets sights on 2026 challenges. To join the group get in touch with helen@ukauthority.co.uk.
    3. Join Squiggly Careers’ Learn like a Lobster Sprint running from Monday 19 to Friday 23 January.
    4. 24 AI apps and tools to try out in 2026 
    5. What a fully collaborative public sector system looks like in 3–5 years

    Take care. I hope you can have a great weekend when it arrives.

    Best wishes,

    Alex.

    Conference attendees chatting during President's Conference 2023

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