Why digital technology is important

The public, our businesses, our communities, our partners and our employees expect our digital offer to meet their needs whether they live, work or visit Durham. In addition, the council is facing significant financial challenges. To meet these expectations and provide value for money, we must be a modern council. We need to empower and connect our communities, create more efficient processes, and improve services. This is more important than ever to ensure we can tackle today's challenges such as economic challenges, the climate crisis, an aging population, the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic and digital inclusion.

Online services that are easy to use

We know we can use digital technology where appropriate, to deliver convenient services, for example through using online portals and offering self-service options, which reduce the need for in person visits or phone calls. Digital technology can also help us to make our everyday operations more effective and efficient, for example by digitalising our processes where possible, so that we can save time and money and allowing us to allocate resources more effectively to where customers need it. In addition, digitalisation is changing the way that many of our partners work and allowing for all of our services to be connected in new and exciting ways. An example of this being the growing use of assistive technology in the health care sector.

Engaging with our communities in new and exciting ways

Digital technology also allows us to engage with our communities in new and innovative ways, for example through social media, using Artificial Intelligence (AI), or using apps to provide opportunities for residents to give us feedback, obtain services, and connect with their local representatives. It also helps us to be more transparent and accountable, using open data and online reporting to give our communities great insight into our decision making processes and performance.

New technology to improve our services

New and innovative technology continues to develop the opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our services. By embracing digital technology, reusing where we can, being innovative and working in collaboration with our communities and partners, we will be able to meet the changing and growing expectations of residents, improve processes, and deliver better services.

This content is part of our Digital strategy 2023-2028.

Read the next page: Who our digital customers are

Read the previous page: Reviewing our digital strategy - business context and strategic refresh