What we do
We collaborate to develop a best practice, open source website publishing platform that is freely available to all UK councils.
We work together to improve our own websites, and to create public digital assets for the benefit of all.
Together, we aim to create sector-wide digital transformation by developing a shared pool of code, resources, research, and expertise.
Why we do it
We’re motivated by a desire to help councils deliver the best possible digital experience for citizens and reduce the risks and costs associated with council websites.
We take our inspiration from other code sharing organisations and initiatives and recognise that we are part of a wider international movement and community.
How we do it
We’re a community of experts working together openly and transparently.
We pool skills, share knowledge, help one another and make collective decisions.
We want as many people as possible to benefit from this project. We welcome contributions in various forms from inside and outside local government, building on the strength of open source communities in the UK and beyond. Discover how you and your council team can participate.
Open Digital Cooperative
In January 2023, we established Open Digital Cooperative to help run, develop and ensure the financial sustainability of the Localgov Drupal project.
Councils and suppliers pay a subscription fee (voluntary for councils) to Open Digital Cooperative to maintain our unique collaboration.
LocalGov Drupal is not our registered name for two reasons. Firstly ‘Drupal’ is under a trademark. Secondly our cooperative has ambitions to provide open-source software to public sector bodies and third sector organisations outside of local government.
Previous funding
We have previously received funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
LocalGov Drupal was founded for the public good, so we will always:
- publish our code and documentation freely under an open source licence (GPL2),
- respond to pull requests from all of our users, whether they are members of LocalGov Drupal or not,
- provide information to any public body or supplier wanting to learn more about our work.
Like all the best ideas, LocalGov Drupal started in the minds of a few individuals. It grew into what it is today through adoption by far-sighted councils that are open to collaboration, some central government funding, and a lot of hard work. Read our story so far.
Our Vision, Mission and Aims
Vision (the dream)
Our vision is for all public sector digital services to be accessible, evidence-based, and open source.
Mission (what we’ll do to realise our dream)
Our mission is simple: to improve the experience of citizens using public sector websites.
Aims (how we achieve our mission)
We aim to foster digital transformation through collaboration on open source products and projects.
We will save organisations time and money by developing a shared pool of:
- code
- research
- expertise
We will encourage organisations to build on shared solutions, rather than solving problems that others have solved before.
Our Ethos
Five pillars underpin our aims:
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An open culture
First and foremost, we believe in, and are committed to, the principles of the Local Digital Declaration, specifically:
- an open culture that values, incentivises and expects digital ways of working from every member of the project team;
- working in the open;
- sharing our plans and experience;
- working collaboratively with other organisations;
- developing and reusing good practice;
- publishing our work under open source licences.
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Diversity
We promote diversity in our community and value the input of a plurality of voices.
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Community building, shared learning and support
We’re creating a community of local council digital practitioners with the aim of fostering a more collaborative approach to delivering digital projects in the local government sector. We aim to learn from and support each other as the project continues to grow. This means not only sharing best practice solutions but also how best to implement them.
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Building trust
We want to build trust between councils so that we can do more together. We want to be greater than the sum of our parts, and we can only do this by building trust between all the participating councils and those who have yet to join.
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Innovative decision making
We have an innovative and systematic approach to decision-making. We actively listen to the different voices within LocalGov Drupal to ensure we are as inclusive as possible.
If you would like to find out more or have any questions just drop us a line at hello@localgovdrupal.org. We are always happy to chat about LocalGov Drupal, provide a demo of the platform, or show how councils are using it.