In an era defined by convenience, immediacy and personalisation, public services can no longer afford to lag behind. Citizens expect their interactions with public institutions to mirror the seamless experiences they receive from the private sector - and they're increasingly vocal when those expectations aren’t met.
At this year’s Government Transformation Summit (24-25 June, Church House Westminster), the Citizen Services-focused discussion tables will tackle these very challenges head-on, exploring how modernisation, design thinking and data are being used to close the gap between citizen expectations and government delivery.
In this guide we'll explore the biggest issue that will form the backbone of the conversations in our unique discussion tables. These intimate deep-dive session are led by senior UK and global public sector leaders to drive actionable insights for attendees. If you're already registered, sign up here.
Government services must evolve if they’re to remain relevant and effective. In the session on Service Modernisation, Sarah Williams, Chief Customer Officer at Westminster Council, brings a front-line view to the question of how public bodies can use technology and data to modernise operations and deliver more intuitive, efficient services. These discussions aim to uncover the tools and frameworks that are already helping public bodies reduce friction and drive value across the board.
This need for modernisation isn’t just technical - it’s deeply human. The Citizen Experience session, led by Honey Dacanay, Director General, Digital Policy, Government of Canada, will look at how governments can align their capabilities with what people actually expect. It's a frank acknowledgment that citizen satisfaction is not just about efficiency, but about empathy and responsiveness.
User-centred thinking is at the heart of this transformation. With the average UK citizen spending over a week per year navigating bureaucracy, the User-Centric Design session - in partnership Adobe - asks a vital question: how can we simplify the experience of dealing with government? Co-hosted by Anaïs Reding, Chief Digital Officer, Department for Business & Trade, and Chris Harvey, Head of Product & Services, Ministry of Defence, this conversation emphasises the power of inclusive, feedback-led design in reducing administrative burden and improving trust in public services.
In a similar vein, the Service Design discussion table will go beyond aesthetics and interface improvements to explore the structural redesign of services. Cathy Dutton, Deputy Director, Service Design & Delivery, Department for Education, and Dan Tippell, Deputy Director, Service Management, UK Home Office, will share how their teams are involving citizens in the co-creation of services - ensuring that offerings reflect real needs, not assumptions.
It’s not enough to improve one part of the system - service transformation must address the entire journey a citizen takes. That’s the focus of the Citizen Journey Mapping session, hosted by Sarah Rose, Deputy Director, Digital Justice System, Ministry of Justice. This session will explore the practical methods departments are using to gain a full view of citizen interactions and identify key moments of friction, misunderstanding, or inefficiency.
Creating excellent digital services means ensuring everyone can access them. In the Digital Experience discussions, Eilidh McLaughlin, Deputy Director, Digital Ethics, Inclusion and Assurance, Scottish Government, and Verity Hislop, Senior Project Manager, Digital Office, Scottish Local Government, will focus on inclusion - ensuring that services meet the needs of users with varying digital literacy levels and different access needs. These discussions are critical to building equitable digital services that don’t inadvertently exclude the very people who need them most.
This theme continues in the Service Accessibility session, which will explore how government bodies are tackling the challenges of universal access - from rural connectivity to disability inclusion. As services increasingly move online, accessibility must be seen as fundamental - not optional.
If design makes services feel better, data makes them work better. The Data-Enabled services table, hosted by Selina Holliday, Head of Digital Engagement, Greater London Authority, will dive into how public sector organisations can harness data to tailor experiences, improve responsiveness, and anticipate citizen needs before they’re even voiced.
Closely related is the challenge of Personalised Services. In a world where citizens are accustomed to Netflix-style recommendations and customised banking apps, public services need to deliver tailored, relevant interactions, without compromising scalability. This discussion table will explore the strategies that make personalisation work in a government setting, with input from departments currently working to deliver citizen-centric outcomes at scale.
Finally, the summit turns to the question of excellence. The Service Excellence session asks: how do we go beyond “good enough” and make truly exceptional public services the norm? Those conversations will centre on using data, AI and continuous feedback loops to set and meet higher benchmarks for service performance.
The Citizen Services stream at the Government Transformation Summit paints a clear picture of where UK public service delivery is headed: towards deeper empathy, greater accessibility, and smarter, data-driven engagement. With sessions co-hosted by senior digital leaders, this stream isn’t just about sharing ideas - it’s about setting priorities and leading cultural change.
By placing the citizen at the heart of every transformation, government bodies can create services that are not only more efficient, but more human. We’ll see you there. REgister via the banner below.