Five key steps to transform UK government digital services

As the world rapidly digitalizes, government agencies are under pressure to boost productivity and deliver the seamless, user-friendly services that people now expect. In the UK, this effort is driven by the government’s 2022-25 Roadmap for Digital and Data.

The Autumn Budget underscores Government’s growing commitment to supporting the public sector in digitizing its service delivery and improving outcomes. It allocates £2 billion for technology investment in the NHS and provides additional support for digital transformation in other public services. The time to leverage technology to optimize operations, increase productivity and empower the public sector is now.

Civica conducted its third annual survey of senior civil servants to assess progress on the Roadmap’s goals. The findings show steady improvements, but to unlock additional potential, efforts must intensify in five key areas.

1. Renewing focus on strategic alignment

Our findings reveal that nearly half of civil servants (48%) believe their organization’s digital priorities align with the Roadmap, an increase from 42% in 2023. While this shows progress, there are still significant gaps to address to achieve meaningful improvements in productivity and citizen-focused innovation by the deadline.

To move forward effectively, the government should focus on aligning strategies by fostering collaboration between departments, unifying digital goals and connecting digital transformation to citizen-centered services.

2. Prioritizing a single access point

When people use public services, the experience should be safe, simple and seamless. To achieve this, the government is expanding GOV.UK One Login across all departments, which is a key part of its digital strategy. However, only 16% of departments are actively implementing this initiative and nearly two-thirds (60%) of civil servants are unaware of any rollout plans. This emphasizes the need for better communication about this important tool that can improve public service delivery.

As the government reaffirms its…