Coventry City Council wins Digital Council of the Year

Coventry City Council has been awarded the Digital Council of the Year at the Connected Britain Awards held on 11 September. This accolade is a recognition of the council’s efforts in driving digital innovation to improve the lives of its residents and enhance citywide opportunities.

The council, in collaboration with various partners, has been at the forefront of digital projects that are transformative for the community. These include the inauguration of a Material Recycling Facility that uses artificial intelligence to achieve a 99% purity in recycling processes. The council has also partnered with City Fibre, Virgin Media O2, and BT Openreach to develop a full-fibre network covering 96% of Coventry. Efforts with Jaguar Land Rover, West Midlands 5G, and other local authorities have propelled the region towards becoming a hub for 5G innovation, focusing on sectors like adult social care.

Further digital initiatives include the creation of a smart water network to monitor water usage and manage resources efficiently, and the deployment of Small Cells by Freshwave and BT, enhancing connectivity for both visitors and residents. Coventry City Council’s commitment to digital excellence was also highlighted as it reached the finalist stage in two other categories at the awards, celebrating its strides in promoting digital inclusion.

Councillor Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources, expressed his satisfaction, stating, “I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve won this award. It’s a testament to the hard work of our officers and the dedication of our partners. As a Council we’re committed to improving the lives of our residents. These projects are innovative but tangible and they’re already having a marked difference on people’s everyday lives. What I would say to residents is that this award is just the beginning, and we won’t be resting on our laurels. We will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to innovate and improve our city.”

Councillor Patricia Hetherton, Cabinet Member for City Services, also shared her enthusiasm: “As an organisation, we’ve been developing some really innovative projects and it’s fantastic that that work has been recognised like this. Of course, we’re very lucky to have some fantastic partners and brilliant council officers who help us deliver these schemes. I would like to thank all of them for their continued support. Our ultimate aim is improving the lives of our residents, and we’ll keep developing, innovating and delivering projects like these in order to do that.”

The Connected Britain awards are organised by Total Telecom, aiming to acknowledge the most innovative organisations and initiatives that are sculpting the digital landscape of Britain.

Image by ian kelsall from Pixabay