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Key Funding Opportunities for Local Authorities
1. Digital Planning Improvement Fund
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Purpose: The Digital Planning Improvement Fund supports Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to adopt modern practices, improve planning data, digital capabilities, and development management systems.
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Funding Available: Up to £50,000 per LPA.
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Eligibility: LPAs in England.
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Status: The most recent round closed in January 2025, but further opportunities are expected, so councils should monitor for updates.
2. Digital Planning Continuous Funding
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Purpose: The Digital Planning Continuous Funding scheme provides continued funding to projects that have successfully delivered previous phases and are ready to scale or progress further.
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Funding Route: Section 31 grant under the Local Government Act 2003.
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Eligibility: Ongoing digital planning projects that can demonstrate successful outcomes and readiness to expand.
3. Local Government Association (LGA) Digital Transformation Programme
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Purpose: The Local Government Association (LGA) Digital Transformation Programme helps councils develop digital solutions in areas such as adult social care, public health, and housing.
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Support Offered: Access to funding, expert guidance, and opportunities to co-develop reusable digital tools with peers across the sector.
4. Levelling Up Fund
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Purpose: Supports capital projects in transport, town centre regeneration, and local infrastructure.
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Status: A third funding round is anticipated, although precise dates have yet to be confirmed.
Why It Matters
These funding opportunities provide councils with the chance to:
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Accelerate digital transformation without overburdening internal budgets.
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Develop modern, scalable services that meet resident expectations.
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Collaborate with peers and partners to create shared, reusable solutions.
By combining funding streams with the right procurement and commissioning approaches, local authorities can reduce the time and resource burden of transformation while ensuring compliance and maximising value for money.
Turning Funding Into Tangible Service Improvements
At The Access Group, we help councils make the most of available funding to deliver real improvements across local government services.
Access Adam takes the complexity out of commissioning and procurement, cutting administrative work whilst keeping you compliant with public sector standards. West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board reduced the time spent sourcing packages of care by 35% after implementing Access Adam, whilst Milton Keynes City Council achieved 100% compliance on property bookings. Whether you're accessing LGA transformation funding or Levelling Up Fund capital projects, Adam gives you the procurement foundation to get things moving.
Access Mosaic brings adult and children's social care into the digital age with comprehensive case management tools. Ealing Council saved 330 hours - approximately 47 days of an Assessment Officer's time - through automated Financial Assessment Batch Uplift processes, freeing up resources to focus on direct support for vulnerable children and adults.
Access Synergy modernises education and family information services, helping you coordinate better and manage data more effectively. Medway Council achieved 98% of school applications submitted online after implementing Synergy, dramatically reducing paper-based processes and improving data accuracy for families navigating local services.
Access Adam Housing modernises housing management and supports homelessness prevention work. Councils using the platform have achieved 100% initial booking compliance through automated document verification, ensuring all properties meet safety standards before families move in.
Access Technology Enabled Care (TEC) combines traditional alarm functionality with proactive digital insights to support personalised care. Councils using TEC have enabled carers to support up to nine times more vulnerable people on night supervision shifts and reduced hospital discharge delays by up to three days. TEC gives you the technology foundation to demonstrate measurable impact on independent living outcomes and resource efficiency.
What ties these solutions together is integration. Instead of disconnected systems that trap data in silos, our platforms connect services so you can prove impact, work more efficiently, and deliver better outcomes for the people you serve.
Your Next Steps
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Check Eligibility – Review the criteria for each funding opportunity to see how they align with your authority’s priorities.
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Build Your Roadmap – Identify which areas of service transformation could be accelerated through funding.
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Partner for Delivery – Work with The Access Group to turn funding into lasting, measurable impact for your residents. From reducing repeat referrals through early intervention tracking, to improving school attendance rates with coordinated multi-agency support, to decreasing care plan review times that keep families waiting – our technology helps you demonstrate real-world improvements in children's outcomes and service efficiency.
