Welcome to the January edition of Engage from Delib.
This month, we’re looking at how our customers are using Citizen Space in order to consult on approaches to our changing climate.
Despite the chill in the northern hemisphere we’ve been out and about meeting people, sharing ideas, and learning from the brilliant work happening across the civic engagement and civic tech space. It’s been energising to connect with so many people who are passionate about making democracy work better for everyone.
GovCamp: Setting the agenda together
We kicked things off in January by sponsoring GovCamp, held in the beautiful Birmingham City Council House. For those who haven’t been to a GovCamp before, it’s an unconference – a day of discussions, not presentations. Attendees pitch topics they want to discuss, a quick show of hands determines interest, and the agenda is built in real time. It’s wonderfully democratic, and whilst there’s often a focus on digital and data topics, the pitches are always wide-ranging and engaging.
Our team came away buzzing. There’s so much amazing work being done across local government, and what really stood out was the recognition of the barriers people face – and the determination to meet them head on through dialogue, partnership, and innovation. That collaborative spirit is exactly what we need more of.
Political Tech Summit: The power of interoperability
From Birmingham, we headed to Berlin for the Political Tech Summit. Our COO gave a talk on the Hacker stage, ‘Why Consultation Matters: The Impact of 11 Million Voices’, exploring how digital democracy tools are shaping better policy outcomes around the world. We also took part in a fantastic panel session on civic tech mindset, where the word of the summit seemed to be interoperability. When civic tech tools can talk to each other and work together, we all benefit. It’s not about one platform doing everything – it’s about building an ecosystem where different tools can connect, share data responsibly, and create better experiences for citizens and public servants alike.
January 2026 has also been a month of memorable (and somewhat miserable) weather across the globe. From freezing and relentless rainfall in the UK, to the dangerous flash flooding that has been seen in Australia. While the internet argues about AI images of sky-high snowdrifts in Russia, eastern Canada was buried in a snow storm of its own.
While some unpleasant weather is inevitable at this time of year, it is undeniable that our changing climate has meant more extreme weather for many regions. As this becomes the new normal, governments are consulting with citizens and stakeholders about how they should be preparing for crises.
Customer insights and inspiration:
Below are just a few examples of how customers are using Citizen Space to consult on climate change measures and extreme weather safeguards.
Managing increasing flood risk
In Wales, Natural Resources Wales is continuing their work in identifying long-term flood risk management solutions for Pwllheli, where parts of the town are at significant risk of flooding. As the climate changes, the risk of flooding in the area is expected to increase, particularly along the community’s coastline. This is placing growing pressure on existing flood defences.
The Pwllheli Flood Risk Management Project is therefore exploring ways to manage tidal and river flooding. Funded by the Welsh Government, the project supports the aims of Wales’ National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management and the Programme for Government.
Meanwhile in Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has begun a consultation that focuses on flooding and related concerns, particularly projects within “Potentially Vulnerable Areas”. The consultation is community focused and seeks input from the residents and businesses most likely to be affected by flood risk. This is the first phase of process that could have a significant impact on how Scotland manages flood risk.
Planning for change across the UK
Also in Scotland, the Scottish Government invited views on its draft Climate Change Plan, which sets out multiple policies that would cut Scotland’s contribution to carbon emission. The draft plan aims to create a transition to Net Zero that is fair on citizens and the environment.
The Plan outlines how climate change action can be used to deliver immediate benefits to communities, including improving air quality and public health, and making it easier to warm homes. Economic opportunities presented by green technologies are also explored. The consultation was open to all Scottish citizens, and closed at the end of January.
Similarly, in Sandwell in England, the local council is running a consultation on how they might approach tackling climate change at a local level:
“The Council’s Climate Change Strategy sets out the how the Council plans to face the challenges and opportunities climate change brings and what we will do to help meet those challenges whilst supporting our residents.”
Coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is a problem in low-lying regions across the planet. In countries like New Zealand, fast moving coastal erosion is having an immediate impact on residents’ lives. Similarly, in Australia, there have been some dramatic impacts – destroying property and livelihoods.
In Wales, erosion hasn’t been quite so dramatic, but rising sea levels are expected to have a significant impact on coastal communities in future. That’s why Natural Resources Wales are seeking to develop a plan that takes a long-term view of coastal erosion management. The ‘Adaptive Management Plan’ seeks to provide a roadmap with interventions dependent upon exactly how much sea levels rise by. The project is in its early stages currently, holding stakeholder engagement sessions, but will move to public consultations in the coming months.
Industry and legislative news:
Important industry news from January, including some large-scale consultations that could have big implications.
EU launches consultation on climate resilience
In January, the European Commission invited citizens to contribute to a public consultation on the EU’s future climate resilience framework. The consultation aims to help European Union countries to prepare for the impacts of climate change, covering everything from heatwaves and floods to more long-term threats to public health, infrastructure, and the economy.
The consultation follows a call for evidence from summer 2025, which demonstrated a real appetite for bold action in building climate resilience. The call for evidence mainly involved experts and stakeholders, so this next phase is focused on giving opportunities for the public to feedback.
UK Government to consult on under-16 social media use
Following Australia banning children from using social media until the age of 16, many governments around the world have begun to consider following suit. In the UK, the government has responded by launching a consultation, with the aim of deciding how the government can best safeguard children’s wellbeing online. The consultation is seeking views from parents, young people and society at large with several events having happened over the last couple of weeks to encourage a comprehensive “national conversation”.
Other measures have been introduced immediately, such as banning the use of mobile phones in school settings at all times.
“We are determined to ensure technology enriches children’s lives, not harms them – and to give every child the childhood they deserve,”
– Liz Kendall, Technology Secretary
An action plan for AI opportunities
The UK government has published the AI Opportunities Action Plan, setting out how artificial intelligence could be used to drive economic growth, improve public services and support jobs for the future.
The plan argues that AI could become one of the government’s most important tools for boosting productivity and delivering on its pledges in priority areas like healthcare.
Key proposals include investing in AI infrastructure such as data centres and computing power, expanding access to skills and training, supporting the safeuse of AI through regulation, and encouraging wider adoption of AI across the public and private sectors. The plan also sets out ambitions to develop homegrown AI companies, with discussions around potential ownership structures.
The Action Plan has been presented to Parliament and will guide future government decisions on AI policy, investment and regulation across the UK.
What’s coming up?
The GovTech Summit 2026 – London, 16 April
Connecting government decision-makers with leading tech experts, the GovTech summit seeks to bring together all manner of “public sector innovators”.
You can register to attend the summit here.