Seven winners from councils across the UK demonstrated measurable impact on citizen experience, organisational efficiency and public trust.
The winners of the 16th annual UK Digital Government Awards have been announced, recognising public sector organisations and teams who deliver measurable improvements in citizen engagement, service delivery and transparency.
Winners of the 2026 Granicus UK Digital Government Awards. Left to right: James McCarthy, Kay O’Flaherty and Rob Griffiths (back row) from Wrexham; Ceri Parsons from Rhondda; Jennifer Roberts (back row) from Wrexham; Zoe Lancelott from Rhondda; Lianne Tew, Simon Mugridge and Brett Levett from Wealden; Daisy Fox Smith from Cafcass; Danny Woolven (back row) from Wealden; Beth Hamilton from Cafcass; Christopher Philpot and James Hurrell from Tower Hamlets. Photo courtesy of Granicus.
This year, seven winners were awarded across six categories, for delivering tangible results, whether cutting case-processing times from weeks to days, expanding resident participation from hundreds to thousands, or saving hundreds of staff weeks through smarter digital services.
The winners were:
Changemaker Award: Enfield Council’s transport, climate and place team
For increased inclusive participation in transport and placemaking projects, with more than 115,000 platform visits and demonstrable growth in engagement from young and disabled residents.
Community Engagement Award: North Tyneside Council’s engagement team
For expanded resident representation, from 153 to 2,506 participants across all 20 wards, through a single, accessible consultation platform.
Operational Excellence Award (two winners):
Cafcass
For raised internal newsletter open rates from 15% to over 60%, directly supporting recruitment visibility and organisational performance.
Wrexham County Borough Council’s customer services
For cutting Blue Badge application processing times from 18 working days to seven by automating end‑to‑end workflows.
Service Delivery Award: London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ digital team
For digitising a paper‑based parking permits service, processing 9,200 applications, generating £460,000 in online payments and saving an estimated 110 staff weeks.
Total Government Experience Award: Wealden District Council’s digital services
For reduced contact centre demand by consolidating key services into a single, WCAG‑compliant self‑service resident portal.
Trust and Transparency Award: Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (RCTCBC) Health Determinants Research Collaboration
For embedding lived experience into policy decisions by enabling residents to co‑design initiatives and act as voting members on recruitment panels.
Ian Roberts, UK Managing Director at Granicus, says: ‘Faster services, with processing times cut from weeks to days; clearer communications, with engagement reaching thousands more residents; and stronger trust, built through more open and inclusive decision‑making. Every year we see the ambition, creativity and commitment of public sector teams across the UK.
‘This year’s winners show what is possible when digital is used with purpose. They are improving how citizens engage with services and building more transparent, responsive government. We are proud to recognise their achievements.’
In related news:
Green energy scheme in Aberdeenshire rewards both tenants and landlords
Leave a Reply