When Neil Williams arrived at Croydon LBC in the new role of chief digital officer nearly a year ago, he inherited an IT department and an ambition to make Croydon the ‘Silicon Valley of south London'. His remit covers everything from working on channel shift and transactional services, to smart cities and supporting the tech firms in the borough.

But when it came to launching the council's digital strategy, it has been done with an open consultation online, giving local people the chance to debate what they want in an open forum.