Well, that would be telling! So OK, I’ll tell you 😉

First things first, in case you missed the memo or are new to the council, DDaT is Luton Council’s Digital, Data and Technology service.
Based on the government’s DDaT framework:
- we took up residence in the town hall annexe in September 2024
- IT staff came back in-house from Civica, completing the dream team 😊
Headed by our fab service director, Atika Mohammed, around 100 members of DDaT staff make up the following teams:
- security, compliance and governance
- ICT performance and contracts
- digital solution delivery
- technology project services
- IT operations
As you can imagine, making sure everyone is up to date with current projects, future plans and achievements can be tricky. Hence the DDaT away day – it’s a chance for the whole service to get with the programme!
Wednesday 17 September
This was our second away day, hosted rather fittingly in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) building at Luton’s University of Bedfordshire.
The tea and coffee was flowing, the room was buzzing and the agenda was packed!
- Introduction
- Ice breaker
- Strategy overview and next 3 to 6 months
- Design thinking / new website
- Change update and ideas prioritisation
- Lunch break
- Bitesize learning
- Team exercise
- Wrap up
Strategy overview and next 3 to 6 months
This was one of my favourite parts of the day. I’m genuinely excited by the amount of plans the service has, including:
- moving to an even more agile way of working
- submitting a growth bid
- carrying out an audit of skills the service already has and needs
These are all improvements and plans that, long term, can only make life better for our residents.
After reading out an impressive list of recent DDaT achievements, from a successful move to OneDrive, starting a proof of concept for AI in the council and a whole lot of great feedback, we moved on to our strategy and the future.

Image showing the 4 drivers in our strategic framework.
DDaT vision
We lead the organisation in change. Show the art of the possible. Give confidence we can evolve. We inspire and deliver.
DDaT mantras
- Think BIG, start small, scale fast!
- Get things done
- Dynamic
- People-centric
Principles
- Share, reuse, collaborate
- End to end service design
- Evidence based
- Environmentally conscious
- Proportionately secure
- Working in the open
Enablers
- Culture
- Capability
Drivers
- User experience
- Productivity
- Technology
- Data
Outcomes
- Better experiences
- Digitally confident workforce
- Financially sustainable
- Strong and secure foundations
- Data informed
- Digitally enabled place
Next steps
The immediate future for DDaT includes the delivery of key projects including Microsoft data storage, a new website, telephony replacement, implementing a low code digital platform, APP, a new housing system… and many, many more!
Design thinking / new website
I may be biased but this was another fave part of the day… introducing our new website! The Digital Services team has been talking about this project for years, but finally, we’re now on our way to making it happen!
With our new manager, Jayvik Patel, at the helm, and suppliers in place, things are moving at a fast face, as he told everyone during his presentation.

If you don’t know already, we’re moving Luton.gov.uk to a new content management system (CMS) – LocalGov Drupal (LGD). LGD is an open-source CMS, created by a community of local councils and suppliers who all have common goals.
It’s a free web publishing platform where participating councils share code, user research and ideas, allowing for a ‘flexible and cost-effective approach to digital transformation’. It’s designed to:
- help local governments deliver better digital services
- improve citizen experiences
- save money
And I can’t wait to start working on it… watch this space!
In summary…
The DDaT away day was an informative and fun experience. In amongst the more light-hearted parts of the day (I won a prize in the team exercise!), I learned so much about our service. I met people that I’ve ‘known’ for years but never had the pleasure of meeting IRL. And I came away with a feeling of pride to be part of such an innovative and creative service.
Bring on the next away day! 😊