Event Round-Up: City of Wolverhampton Council Industry Briefing
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our virtual Industry Briefing with the City of Wolverhampton Council.
We were delighted to be joined by Heather Clark, Head of City Economy and External Funding Strategy and Julie Bentley, Digital Programme Manager, City of Wolverhampton Council who shared the Council’s digital ambitions, current initiatives, and opportunities for collaboration.
Key topics covered included:
Wolverhampton as a Gigabit and Smart City – Leveraging futureproofed digital infrastructure to enhance public service delivery and unlock innovation across the city.
100% Digitally Included Wolverhampton – Ensuring all residents have access to devices, connectivity, and the digital skills needed to thrive.
Growing the Digital Economy and Talent Pipeline – Supporting startups and scale-ups, creating local jobs, and addressing future skills needs through strategic infrastructure investment.
Digital strategy overview
Heather Clark emphasised the importance of digital infrastructure and transformation in delivering services to residents and businesses. The Council's digital strategy is driven by three key ambitions:
Becoming a Smart City: Utilising future-proof digital infrastructure to enhance service delivery and develop new applications.
Digital Inclusion: Ensuring all residents have access to devices, connectivity, and skills to benefit from digital advancements.
Growing the Digital Economy: Equipping residents with the necessary skills for jobs requiring digital competencies.
Digital infrastructure developments
The Council has made significant strides in improving digital infrastructure. From 2020 to 2024, gigabit connectivity increased by 97%, and full-fibre broadband coverage rose from 1% to over 90%. This progress was facilitated by successful bids for funding, partnerships with network providers, and proactive planning to eliminate barriers to rollout.
Mobile infrastructure
The Council has also focused on enhancing mobile connectivity, achieving 100% coverage by at least one mobile operator for 5G, with 92% coverage by all operators. This positions Wolverhampton as a leader in the West Midlands for mobile infrastructure.
Digital inclusion initiatives
The Council recognizes the necessity of digital inclusion, launching programs like Wolves Online and Wolves Tech Aid to provide devices and connectivity to residents in need. These initiatives have successfully supported over 14,000 people to get online, distributing nearly 100,000 gigabytes of data and recycling around 2,000 devices.
Smart city projects
Julie Bentley presented various innovative projects aimed at enhancing service delivery and efficiency, including:
Smart Bin Sensors: Implemented to optimize waste collection, reducing costs and improving resource allocation.
Soil Scout Sensors: Deployed in parks to monitor soil conditions, preventing damage to mowing equipment and reducing emissions.
Fly Tipping Cameras: Designed to monitor and reduce illegal dumping incidents, with expectations of an 80% reduction in occurrences.
Gully Sensors: Used to identify flooding risks and improve drainage maintenance, resulting in cost savings.
Future directions
The Council plans to expand its smart city initiatives, focusing on environmental projects, enhancing asset management through digital twins, and improving adult social care services. A smart city marketplace event is also planned to engage with technology partners and explore new opportunities.
Q&A Highlights
During the Q&A session, attendees raised questions about digital inclusion devices, the implementation of virtual wards, and data sharing across departments. Heather and Julie provided insights into the types of devices distributed, the role of virtual wards in their strategy, and the ongoing efforts to establish a central data repository for better decision-making.
The session concluded with a commitment to continue fostering innovation and collaboration to enhance the digital landscape of Wolverhampton, ultimately aiming for a smarter and more inclusive city for all residents.
If you have any specific questions or need further details, feel free to ask!
Recording and slides can be found below (to access the slides please login).
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Alison Young is the Associate Director Local Public Services.
Alison has background in International Trade & Investment, with experience in the public, private and third sector, advising on international trade, new markets, inward investment and working closely with UK cities and regions around investment into innovation and partnerships and technology. Prior to joining techUK, she has her own consulting business and was Head of Global Investment with the Connected Places Catapult. This role had a focus on FDI around the built environment and mobility, working across NetZero mobility projects in the UK and globally. She worked closely with the Innovation Districts Group, to foster and network of knowledge sharing and helped set up the Freeport Innovation Network, to foster innovation in the context of freeports with a focus on investment.
She spent six years living and working in the Middle East, with the Department for Business and Trade. Based first in Oman, leading on a number of sectors, from Education to Infrastructure, then based in the UAE, setting up the Technology and Smart Cities sector, with a core focus on AI and Fintech.
She is passionate about economic growth for the UK, to create jobs and opportunities; the green agenda and the decarbonisation of transport. She has a degree in Russian Studies MA, from the University of Edinburgh and is currently learning Arabic.
Programme Manager, Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, techUK
Ileana Lupsa is the Programme Manager for Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, at techUK.
Ileana studied electronics, telecommunications and IT as an undergraduate, followed by an MSc in engineering and project management at Coventry University.
She refined her programme management expertise through her most recent roles working in the automotive industry.
Ileana is passionate about sustainability and creating a positive impact globally through innovation.
Programme Marketing Assistant for Public Sector Markets, techUK
Tracy supports the marketing of several areas at techUK, including Cyber Exchange, Central Government, Cyber Resilience, Defence, Education, Health and Social Care, Justice and Emergency Services, Local Public Services, Nations and Regions and National Security.
Tracy joined techUK in March 2022, having worked in the education sector for 19 years, covering administration, research project support, IT support and event/training support. My most outstanding achievement has been running three very successful international conferences and over 300 training courses booked all over the globe!
Tracy has a great interest in tech. Gaming and computing have been a big part of her life, and now electric cars are an exciting look at the future. She has warmed to Alexa, even though it can sometimes be sassy!
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Alison Young is the Associate Director Local Public Services.
Alison has background in International Trade & Investment, with experience in the public, private and third sector, advising on international trade, new markets, inward investment and working closely with UK cities and regions around investment into innovation and partnerships and technology. Prior to joining techUK, she has her own consulting business and was Head of Global Investment with the Connected Places Catapult. This role had a focus on FDI around the built environment and mobility, working across NetZero mobility projects in the UK and globally. She worked closely with the Innovation Districts Group, to foster and network of knowledge sharing and helped set up the Freeport Innovation Network, to foster innovation in the context of freeports with a focus on investment.
She spent six years living and working in the Middle East, with the Department for Business and Trade. Based first in Oman, leading on a number of sectors, from Education to Infrastructure, then based in the UAE, setting up the Technology and Smart Cities sector, with a core focus on AI and Fintech.
She is passionate about economic growth for the UK, to create jobs and opportunities; the green agenda and the decarbonisation of transport. She has a degree in Russian Studies MA, from the University of Edinburgh and is currently learning Arabic.
Programme Manager, Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, techUK
Ileana Lupsa
Programme Manager, Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, techUK
Ileana Lupsa is the Programme Manager for Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, at techUK.
Ileana studied electronics, telecommunications and IT as an undergraduate, followed by an MSc in engineering and project management at Coventry University.
She refined her programme management expertise through her most recent roles working in the automotive industry.
Ileana is passionate about sustainability and creating a positive impact globally through innovation.
Programme Marketing Assistant for Public Sector Markets, techUK
Tracy Modha
Programme Marketing Assistant for Public Sector Markets, techUK
Tracy supports the marketing of several areas at techUK, including Cyber Exchange, Central Government, Cyber Resilience, Defence, Education, Health and Social Care, Justice and Emergency Services, Local Public Services, Nations and Regions and National Security.
Tracy joined techUK in March 2022, having worked in the education sector for 19 years, covering administration, research project support, IT support and event/training support. My most outstanding achievement has been running three very successful international conferences and over 300 training courses booked all over the globe!
Tracy has a great interest in tech. Gaming and computing have been a big part of her life, and now electric cars are an exciting look at the future. She has warmed to Alexa, even though it can sometimes be sassy!
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