Bridging the Digital Skills Gap for Local Councils

15th January 2025

by Mark Gannon

Across the UK, local councils face an urgent challenge: addressing the growing digital skills gap while delivering efficient services to their communities. A 2022 Local Government Association (LGA) survey revealed that 90% of councils reported capability gaps and 83% identified capacity shortages within their workforce. These gaps hinder the ability to embrace digital transformation, putting pressure on budgets, operations, and citizen satisfaction. 

It’s a perfect storm of challenges for local councils. While citizen demand for digital-first services grows, the public sector struggles to compete with private companies for top digital talent. The high cost of external consultants and IT specialists further strains already limited budgets. Councils that fail to close the skills gap risk falling behind in providing timely, accessible services.

What’s the solution? For many councils, low-code platforms are emerging as a cost-effective and practical way to bridge this gap and empower teams to deliver modern public services. Citizen Hub—a low-code platform tailored specifically for local councils—is transforming how councils meet these challenges without requiring an army of developers. 

What are low-code platforms?

Low-code platforms empower users to build applications with minimal technical skills. Through intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built templates, and automated processes, non-technical staff can design and implement solutions quickly and efficiently. 

Low-code is a game-changer for local councils, enabling existing staff to tackle digital projects without relying on expensive external resources. Citizen Hub, for example, takes this a step further by offering out-of-the-box solutions for citizen relationship management and case management. This allows councils to simplify the delivery of digital services, enabling existing staff to tackle digital projects without relying on expensive external resources. 

How can low-code platforms solve the digital skill gap? 

1. Faster deployment, faster results

Traditional software development can take months, but low-code platforms allow councils to deliver digital solutions in weeks—or even days. 

South Hams District Council has undertaken an exciting transformation programme to revolutionise customer service delivery, leveraging low-code. They developed their first app in just one week. By using our AppShare to download a similar app as a scaffold, they quickly tailored it to meet South Hams’ needs. In their first 18 months using the platform, they transformed 90 processes—delivering solutions three times faster than traditional methods. 

2. Empowering non-technical staff

Low-code platforms enable employees with process knowledge—not just IT specialists—to take ownership of digital transformation. 

A benefits officer, for example, could design an online portal for submitting claims, cutting down on paperwork and speeding up service delivery. Adur & Worthing Councils used low-code to develop a no-code form builder app, called Form Builder. This tool enables service teams to independently develop and maintain their own forms and apps, requiring no coding experience and minimal training. 

Form Builder reduces liaison between services and the digital team, allowing teams to process forms, set up checklists, and manage message templates with ease.

3. Cost effective and resource-saving

Low-code platforms like Citizen Hub are resource saving platforms. With just one platform you can: 

• Reduce reliance on external consultants and external development resource 
• Ensure compliance with security and accessibility regulations through built-in tools, reducing the need for additional IT expertise 
• Rationalise applications – reducing licence fees by replacing multiple pieces of software 

4. Knowledge retention and upskilling

By enabling in-house teams to lead digital projects using low-code platforms, councils retain institutional knowledge. Employees naturally upskill as they use the platform, fostering a more digitally capable workforce. 

“We believe service design should be driven by empathy and user needs, not by technical constraints—enabling our nontechnical staff, who are deeply customer-focused, to lead innovative, meaningful solutions. Using Liberty Create, which is totally flexible and doesn’t demand traditional coding skill, we empower empathetic, problem-solving individuals to drive change without being limited by the technology itself.“

Craig Barker 

Senior Manager – Digital and Customer Experience, Cumberland Council

This approach not only fosters a culture of innovation and ideas from within, but also reduces dependency on external consultants, ensuring critical expertise and project insights remain within the council. 

5. Improving citizen experience

Low-code platforms help councils streamline services, enabling faster responses to citizen needs.

Tewkesbury Borough Council transformed online experience to benefit their citizens, the environment and their bottom-line. The council saved over £100,000 in the first 18 months and increased revenue by 35% from garden waste services after using a low-code platform to digitise key processes.

Their in-house Transformation Team used our low-code platform to redesign services and deployed Citizen Hub, which includes out-of-the-box citizen relationship tools and case management.

The result? Simplified systems reduced officer admin time, enabling quicker customer responses. They also improved integration with legacy systems, automated communications, and streamlined data management. 

Overcoming challenges in adopting low-code platforms

While the benefits of low-code platforms like Citizen Hub are clear, councils must address potential hurdles to ensure successful implementation:

• Training and confidence building: Non-technical staff may initially hesitate to adopt new tools. Providing hands-on training and demonstrating quick wins can help overcome this. 
• Ensuring scalability and flexibility: Choosing a platform that integrates with existing systems and scales with future needs ensures long-term viability. 
• Overcoming cultural resistance: Shifting mindsets towards embracing low-code requires strong leadership and clear communication about the benefits. 

A call to action for UK councils

Local councils are at a pivotal moment. The digital skills gap won’t close overnight, but with the right tools, councils can transform challenges into opportunities. Low-code platform like Citizen Hub provides a practical, scalable, and cost-effective solution that empowers existing staff, reduces costs, and improves citizen services. 

Imagine this: faster responses, happier citizens and a more confident workforce—delivered without the need for external consultants. 

If you’re ready to explore how low-code platforms can help your council deliver smarter, faster services, get in touch with one of our experts today. Let’s build a future where technology works for everyone, not just those with coding skills. 

The tools are here—now it’s time to act.