The impact of COVID-19 on organisations and local, regional, and national economies has been substantial, especially in the way that it has forced local authorities to change the way they work to address the needs of their communities.

Be it developing workable local test and trace systems, identifying and supporting the vulnerable, or undertaking data analysis to fill the gaps in knowledge about specific localities and communities, local public service leaders have been asked to re-think the ‘art of the possible' in relation to whether and how they should use technologies and data.