DIGITALISATION MATURITY REPORT 2025
Our new report explores explores the role of technology in supporting ‘connected’ placemaking Manchester.
Manchester is one of the fastest growing tech hubs in Europe, boasting a £6.1 billion digital ecosystem. Fuelled by a thriving network of world-class universities, global tech companies, pioneering start-ups, innovation hubs and community organisations driving grassroots innovation, the city’s digital ecosystem is a powerful enabler of inclusive transformation – elevating public services, unlocking new opportunities for economic growth, and improving quality of life for everyone in Manchester.
Despite significant progress over the last five years, Manchester’s potential to drive inclusive innovation has yet to be fully realised. By building on the strengths of the city’s digital economy, Manchester can unlock the next phase of growth - driving inclusive innovation, boosting economic performance, and ensuring that the benefits of digital transformation are shared across all communities.
In partnership with international consulting company Drees and Sommer, Manchester City Council is excited to share their Digitalisation Maturity Assessment, a new report exploring the role of technology in place-based connected placemaking in Manchester. The research offers an overview of Manchester’s current positioning as a leading digital city and sets out strategic recommendations to enable ‘connected’ placemaking across five key areas of the city.
A ’connected’ urban city is one that doesn’t only rely on growth but harnesses digital technologies to shape more inclusive, democratic and resilient spaces, empowering communities to confidently experience and navigate digital technologies to benefit their life and experience in a city.
The assessment framework uses a structured set of criteria to assess levels of maturity against key connected placemaking themes. Focusing on five areas of interest - City Centre, Wythenshawe, Newton Heath, Holt Town and Strangeway - the report findings benchmark Manchester’s progress against the city’s previous digital maturity assessment to identify key strengths, gaps and a practical roadmap to shape a more inclusive and resilient city.
Bringing together interviews with key stakeholders across the Council and informed by a comprehensive evidential review of strategic plans, policy frameworks and programme documentation, the report identifies specific use cases and deployment processes to accelerate place-based innovation.
Sherelle Fairweather, Digital Strategy Lead at Manchester City Council said: “We’re proud of the progress that Manchester has made in laying strong foundations for inclusive digital transformation. Building on the ambitions of our five-year Digital Strategy, this report provides the evidence and clarity we need to accelerate deployment and unlock the full potential of connected placemaking across Manchester, ensuring our digital infrastructure supports innovation with intention, but inclusively and responsibly across the city.”
Angela Harrington, Director of Inclusive Economy at Manchester City Council said: “This report reinforces Manchester City Council’s commitment to driving inclusive economic growth through innovation. The digital maturity assessment recognises the significant progress Manchester has made over the past five years in shaping a digitally enabled city and sets out practical steps to harness technology to realise a more sustainable, prosperous and inclusive future for all.”
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Finance and Resources at Manchester City Council said: “At Manchester City Council, we’re committed to building a fairer, more connected city for all our diverse communities. This report offers a clear roadmap for how we can use digital technologies to improve lives – enhancing access to services, tackling societal challenges and ensuring that all residents benefit from the opportunities a connected city offers.”
Minu Tegethoff, Lead Expert at Drees & Sommer, said “Sustainable long-term planning for digital is not just important - it’s foundational. Manchester City Council’s early focus on digital governance and stakeholder alignment is a key reason why its ambitions are being translated into real outcomes. This report reflects how thoughtful structures and inclusive collaboration can turn vision into action, ensuring digital transformation delivers lasting value for communities
The report highlights:
Progress and Strengths:
Since Manchester’s last digital maturity assessment in 2020, the city has made significant strides in embracing technology to drive inclusive economic growth. Driven by an ambitious strategic vision, strong cross-sector partnerships and a thriving digital ecosystem, the city has established a strong foundation for digital transformation.
Barriers and Challenges:
Despite good progress, ambition and readiness for digital transformation vary significantly across different areas of Manchester. Key challenges include a disconnect between strategic intent and practical implementation, gaps in governance, inconsistent digital integration in planning and development and significant variations in digital knowledge and skills. These disparities risk reinforcing existing inequalities and slowing the pace of inclusive transformation.
Potential Use Cases:
The report sets out a series of practical use cases for the city council to own, to enhance urban infrastructure and services in Manchester. Developed in partnership with key stakeholders across the City Council, solutions include community Wi-Fi mesh networks, digital twins for urban planning, smart grid integration, and IoT-enabled building management.
Strategic Recommendations to Enable Connected Placemaking
Drawing on the findings from the digital maturity assessment, the report offers strategic recommendations ap to enable the City Council to develop and deliver its approach to connected placemaking in partnership with key stakeholders and organisations. Priorities include deploying use case pilots to demonstrate impact, improving data management through a central data platform, refining governance structures for greater accountability, building internal digital skills and capacity, standardising evaluation methods, and aligning funding and partnerships to support long-term transformation.
Next Steps
To guide delivery of the recommendations, an 18-month roadmap outlines practical steps to embed Manchester’s connected placemaking ambitions - accelerating economic growth, shaping more inclusive and sustainable neighbourhoods, and delivering better outcomes for all of the city’s diverse communities.