GDS Local’s sourcing the stack initiative is part of our commitment to co-create a vision for local government technology; as part of this, we’ve published a common architecture model for council technology.
This post sets out how we arrived at it, why we think a shared model is needed, and how we plan to develop it in the open.
Starting with what councils already do
We began by seeking to understand how councils currently describe their technology.
We reviewed a wide range of publicly available technical, enterprise and ICT architecture documents published by councils over the last few years. These included everything from high level digital strategies to detailed enterprise models.
What we found was a big variation in maturity. A small number of councils have well established architecture practices. Many more rely on static documents or spreadsheets that are hard to keep up to date and difficult to use when decisions need to be made.
This reflects the reality of local government where digital and technology teams are small, priorities change quickly, and architecture work often happens alongside delivery, rather than as a dedicated, ongoing practice.
What councils told us
Alongside this desk research, we spent time talking to councils.
Through workshops, webinars and an expression of interest, we heard a consistent message. Whilst some councils are already documenting their technology in some form, each council does it differently.
There is no common model or shared language and that makes it harder than it needs to be to compare technology estates, understand risk, or collaborate with peers and central government.
Councils also told us this becomes especially difficult during major change. Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) was raised repeatedly as a moment when having a clear, shared view of technology really matters, particularly when estates need to be combined or separated at pace.
What councils asked for was not a new set of rules, or a mandated solution. They asked for something simpler; a shared way of describing technology that still allows for local choice.
Learning from elsewhere
We also looked beyond the UK.
We met with people from Denmark and the Netherlands as well as examining through desk research how shared architecture models are used across local government. These models help organisations describe their technology in consistent ways, while still making local decisions about services and suppliers.
These examples were helpful, not because they can be copied directly, but because they showed that it’s possible to support consistency without centralising control.
Why a common model helps
Councils are different by design. They serve different communities and operate in different contexts.
At the same time, councils often buy from the same limited market of technology suppliers and implement similar capabilities independently, using stretched digital and technology teams.
Without a shared way of describing technology, this leads to duplicated effort, fragmented assurance, and avoidable risk.
A common architecture model helps by providing a shared language.
It makes it easier to describe applications, integrations, data and underlying capabilities, regardless of which products are in use. That supports clearer conversations with suppliers, internal governance groups, and central government. It also makes dependencies and risks easier to see.
Putting the model to use
Our focus now is on using the model to support real delivery.
For GDS, a shared view of council technology will help us design services and standards that fit more easily into local government technology estates, reduce duplication, and support interoperability from the start.
For other government departments, this will help teams identify which part of the council operating model the products they build support, design for integration from the outset by anticipating common dependencies, and reduce duplication by reusing shared patterns and aligning assurance, standards and guidance across departments.
For councils, the model creates a shared language that makes collaboration easier. By describing technology in consistent ways, councils can better compare approaches, share learning, and identify opportunities to work together.
The model can also play an important role in shaping the market. By making common capabilities, patterns and dependencies more visible, it helps suppliers better understand local government needs as a whole, not just individual council requirements.
What happens next
The published model is a starting point, and it represents just one part of a broader vision for local government technology.
We’ll keep developing it in the open with councils and partners, so it remains practical, flexible and rooted in real delivery. Next steps include:
- Promoting uptake within councils and exploring a shared architecture platform to help achieve this.
- Working with vendors and other government departments to scope the components beneath the model, especially those that make up the 12 identified business areas.
- Identifying quick wins where common components can be scaled, or where open‑source solutions could be adopted.
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