Digital maturity of local and regional authorities: digital inclusion makes inroads into the priorities of local and regional authorities

October 2023

Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires (ANCT)

The 2023 barometer of the digital maturity of local and regional authorities, produced by Intercommunalités de France, Les Interconnectés, France urbaine and EY, measures the development of local digital public policies across ten major themes (Digital strategy and governance - Services to users - Digital administration - Local public data service - Digital planning of the territory - Digital ecosystem and economy - Cybersecurity - Digital inclusion - Responsible digital - Territorial cooperation.

As in previous editions, the Barometer defines an ideal target maturity level for each theme, based on a set of statements. For each statement, respondents determine the level at which their local authority is positioned.

The arithmetic mean of the responses obtained determines the level of maturity for each of the themes covered. In 2023, digital inclusion became one of the main priorities for local authorities, whereas it was one of the least mature themes in the previous edition, in 2021.

What can we learn from 2023?

Buoyed by the health crisis in 2021, the themes of digital administration and cybersecurity continue to be among the three most mature themes in the territories, albeit with considerable room for improvement.

Alongside the public data service, territorial cooperation and responsible digital technology are among the three least mature themes. These latter issues are sometimes still difficult to grasp in terms of local policies, which also reflect the strategic choices made by intercommunal bodies according to their own priorities and territorial urgencies (depending on the authority’s level of cyber-defence, the vulnerability of populations to dematerialisation, the dematerialisation of procedures, etc.).

The theme of digital inclusion has seen a remarkable rise in importance, coming second in the ranking in 2023 (it was one of the least mature themes in the previous edition). This breakthrough in inclusion seems to reflect the urgent need for regions to compensate for the acceleration in the generalised dematerialisation of administrative services and procedures, as well as the deployment of systems put in place to limit the impact (France Services digital advisors, maFranceFrance Services).

The theme of responsible digital (which measures policies to reduce the ecological footprint of digital technology; for the first time, it is treated as a theme in its own right) is the least mature in this barometer. It is likely that the application of the AGEC and REEN laws will lead to an increase in maturity, which future editions of the barometer will be able to observe.

More surprisingly, the theme of local public data services ranks 9th out of 10, and is the only theme to have fallen back compared with previous editions. This is a development to be monitored, as the collection, management and use of data is a strategic issue in the implementation of many local authority policies (planning, housing, mobility, environment, etc.) and is essential for supporting the digital, energy and ecological transitions.

Digital inclusion a priority for local authorities

69% of the local authorities that responded to the survey have implemented a digital inclusion plan to train and support the most digitally excluded members of the public, including 76% of local authorities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants.
65% have put in place an action plan to facilitate access to digital technology at a lower cost for our most vulnerable populations (computer equipment, Wi-Fi access points, etc.), including 79% of intermunicipalities with more than 200,000 inhabitants.
45% of respondents state that their digital services comply with the accessibility standards (Référentiel Général d’Amélioration de l’Accessibilité - RGAA).
48% have put in place a digital skills development plan for staff and 32% for elected representatives.

 »This breakthrough in inclusion seems to reflect the urgent need for local authorities to compensate for the acceleration in the widespread dematerialisation of administrative services and procedures, as well as the deployment of measures put in place to limit the impact (France Services digital advisors), » observe the authors of the Barometer.

Cybersecurity, digital inclusion and digital government top the list of priorities

Cybersecurity remains the most mature digital public policy, with 57% of the local authorities responding to the survey having initiated or implemented an initiative.

Digital administration ranks 3rd: 75% of respondents have adapted their operations and put digital uses on a permanent footing.

The three least mature digital policies (territorial cooperation, local public data services and responsible digital use)  »reflect the emergence of new subjects and the difficulty of certain themes to really take their place in local authorities. Successive emergencies are probably forcing local authorities to make choices in terms of digital transformation on certain issues considered more of a priority than others by the respondent territories« .

An analysis of the responses obtained also reveals a wide disparity in the level of maturity of local authorities depending on their number of inhabitants, particularly in the area of cyber security.