20 future priorities for the Improvement Service

After a successful year marking the Improvement Service's 20th anniversary, CEO Dr Sarah Gadsden looks ahead to the future.

Over the course of 2025 we have looked back with pride on 20 years of achievements, strengths, and successful partnerships.

Now, as the year comes to an end, my focus turns to the future and what we can achieve together.

Here are my 20 priorities to strengthen and grow the Improvement Service.

  1. Continue to help transform local government. The transformation project is an ambitious programme of reform. It’s still in its infancy but we’re working with Solace Scotland, to make lasting, positive change happen.
  2. Keep leading on innovation. The IS has a history of creative, forward-thinking solutions and we’ll continue bringing fresh ideas to benefit local communities.
  3. Expand our range of digital shared services. We’re already a trusted resource for many councils looking to design and deliver new national digital solutions. We’ll build on that success to establish ourselves as the go-to partner for councils.
  4. Take shared services beyond digital. This means delivering specialist expertise once for the whole sector.
  5. Step up our data game. We already use data intelligently, but we’ll go further, using smarter tools, dashboards and predictive analytics to help councils make better decisions.
  6. Harness the potential of emerging technologies. By embracing technology responsibly, we can help our teams work smarter and faster.
  7. Ensure sustainability and climate responsibility is central to everything we do. We’ll continue to support local government to reach net-zero targets and help communities build climate resilience.
  8. Make our services even more personal. We’ll use data and behavioural insights to create more relevant and user-friendly experiences for everyone who uses our services.
  9. Focus on prevention and early action. That means helping local authorities and their partners become more proactive in preventing potential problems.
  10. Promote a ‘whole system’ approach. It just makes sense to come together to tackle complex societal challenges.
  11. Continue improving our own improvement model. That means adapting our frameworks and tools to meet future need.
  12. Maintain a balanced portfolio. It’s vital we continue our trusted core services while creating new products and services.
  13. Invest in our staff. Promoting a culture of continuous learning will enable us to continue to adapt as an organisation.
  14. Strengthen partnerships. We have a lot to offer but know others do too, so we’ll keep building strong relationships to help us innovate and respond to emerging challenges.
  15. Look beyond Scotland for inspiration. It’s vital we learn from global best practice and share what we’ve achieved with international partners.
  16. Grow our income in smart ways. Thinking outside of the box will ensure we remain financially strong and sustainable for the future.
  17. Live our values every day. These are not just words on paper, they’ll continue to guide every decision and action we take.
  18. Keep the IS a great place to work. Our people are our greatest strength, and we’ll continue to look at ways to ensure they feel valued and supported.
  19. Get even better at showing our impact. We will look to better measure the impact we achieve for councils and their partners.
  20. Continue to raise the profile of the IS. We want to ensure people across local government understand who we are, what we do, and the value we bring.

With such a successful 20 years behind us, I’m determined to make the next 20 equally as good, if not better.

Together we can keep making a difference to people’s lives across Scotland.