The more councils that subscribe, the more we can invest in our best-in-class products and cutting-edge community resources.
Subscribing councils also access a number of exclusive benefits, including master classes, dedicated support, and more…
You can use this subscription business case template if you need additional SLT sign-off; we’re also happy to make the case directly to whoever holds the budget.
Email Aaron, our Community Lead, to subscribe
Working with the LocalGov Drupal community provides us with a stream of new features to keep improving our websites. We've come so far since we subscribed, and we simply couldn't have done it on our own.
Exclusive subscriber benefits
Priority technical advice and support from LGD’s core team
All subscribers receive 3 hours of bespoke support from either our Tech team or Product Lead. This is available annually to new and existing subscribers
Our support offers new councils the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of LGD and receive guidance on hosting, deployment, and product features. Existing councils can use the time to explore new features, needs and challenges.
Plus prioritised technical support in Slack, Tech Drop-in, and Merge Tuesday
Masterclasses
We offer subscribing councils free access to our masterclass series. Each year, we host six masterclass sessions, delivered by our Certified Suppliers and other partners.
These provide a deep dive into the core skills our councils have requested. Topics include: AI, Accessibility, Content Design, SEO/GEO and more.
Third-party discounts and special offers
Our subscribers enjoy exclusive discounts on training, products, and software provided by third-party suppliers.
Co-op membership
Subscribers are eligible for membership in Open Digital Cooperative, the organisation that supports the community.
Co-op members have part ownership of Open Digital Cooperative, can nominate and vote for directors of the Open Digital Cooperative board, and can vote at the AGM.
Email Aaron, our Community Lead, to subscribe
We've chosen to subscribe to LocalGov Drupal because we believe in the principle of digital public goods.
Subscribing is about more than funding a content management system. It supports a collaborative model of digital delivery, invests in a digital public good, and helps create something that delivers value not just for one council, but for the wider local government community.
How subscription money is spent
We are not-for-profit, owned by councils and their suppliers; we therefore reinvest all profit back into our products.
We now support over 90 modules, and 78 councils currently use our main platform.
Subscription fees allow us to cover business as usual, for example, support, maintenance and limited development work.
It currently takes roughly £200k per year to run BAU; this includes technical, product and community aspects of the organisation. With more subscriptions, we can do much more.
Product development
We spend 70% of our budget supporting, maintaining and developing our suite of open source digital products. This includes:
- Development of new features
- Product and technical leadership to manage the backlog and coordinate development
- Major upgrades (for example, Drupal 10 to 11)
- Maintenance, bug fixes and release management for core products (LocalGov Drupal and LocalGov Microsites)
- Subscribers also help formulate our collective product roadmap.
- Regular security updates and developing our suite of automated tests
- New documentation and video tutorials
Support
Subscription fees cover the cost of technical support for councils. We primarily provide this through our Slack channel and during Tech Drop-in sessions (which you can sign up for on Luma). We also have a continuously updated docs site and a library of tutorial videos.
Additional services
Around 30% of our revenue is spent on community and collaborative resources.
Collaborative tools
We encourage councils to collaborate, but they often don’t do so without assistance.
The LGD team actively encourages collaboration, onboards new councils, runs community sessions, facilitates working groups to build new features, and more.
Comms function
We're actively spreading the word about our collaboration to potential new councils and suppliers. For example, we send a monthly email newsletter, maintain a presence on LinkedIn, host and attend events (LocalGov Drupalcamp / LocalGov Drupal Week), and maintain the LGD infrastructure (LGD website, demo sites, docs site).
Subscribing councils also receive additional recognition for their support via our comms channels.
How fees are calculated
Our subscription fees are based on the successful scheme run by the Co-operative Council Innovation Network and are designed to be as equitable as possible.
Fees are calculated on a sliding scale based on turnover and population, ranging from £ 1,000 to £ 9,750 per year.
This means that councils serving smaller populations with smaller budgets pay less than those serving larger populations with larger budgets. A cap on the overall fee will ensure that larger councils are not unduly burdened.
For those who can’t subscribe
The subscription fee is voluntary, and LocalGov Drupal will always remain open source and free for anyone to download and use.
All new features, updates and product enhancements are available to all councils.
So while LocalGov Drupal's code is available for you to take and use as you wish, the most significant benefits come from participating.
All councils can join our community Slack channel, our meetups and events for free.
We encourage councils to work collaboratively, build open-source functionality, test new features, and share user research.
If you would like to subscribe or find out more, email Aaron, our Community Lead.
We are always happy to chat about LocalGov Drupal, provide a demo, or show how councils are using it.