LocalGov Drupal momentum continues as Drupal tops UK and Irish council usage

The latest numbers show that open-source tech is continuing its upward trajectory in local government.

According to the latest update to the LocalGov CMS Directory by Digital Health Check, Drupal remains the most popular content management system across local councils in the UK and Ireland. This charge is largely being led by the community-driven distribution LocalGov Drupal.

Here is a look at what the latest data tells us about the state of council websites and why open-source tech is increasing in popularity.

The headlines: Drupal by the numbers

Every year, Digital Health Check meticulously reviews and verifies the CMS platforms powering local councils across the UK and Ireland.

The September 2026 directory update highlights some fantastic milestones for open-source technology:

• 116 councils across the UK and Ireland now use Drupal. That represents over a quarter of all local councils.
• 75 of those councils are running on LocalGov Drupal, proving that the collaboratively built Drupal distribution has moved firmly into the mainstream.
• Drupal maintains its spot as the number one CMS in local government, beating out other well-known platforms such as Jadu, Umbraco, GOSS iCM, Contensis CMS and WordPress.
• Around 28 legacy or proprietary platforms remain in play, though most are losing traction rapidly as councils modernise their stack.

Why LocalGov Drupal is so popular

The jump in LocalGov Drupal adoption is particularly exciting. Moving from 59 councils last year to 75 at the time the data was collected shows that the ethos of “build once, share often” is delivering real-world value to council digital teams.

Local authorities face tight budgets, shifting accessibility requirements and high expectations for digital service delivery.

Rather than reinventing the wheel with expensive proprietary systems, councils choosing LocalGov Drupal get access to a suite of thoroughly tested, accessible and user-centric features created by councils for councils.

“The rapid growth of LocalGov Drupal shows just how much councils value open-source collaboration,” says Annertech‘s Head of Delivery, Anthony Lindsay.

“When local authorities share code, pool resources and build together, everyone wins. Councils save vital budget, digital teams get a secure and scalable platform, and citizens enjoy a far better online experience.”

Factors behind the shift

Beyond the obvious cost and efficiency advantages of shared code, upcoming local government reorganisations in the UK are reshaping the market landscape. As smaller councils merge into larger unitary authorities, legacy proprietary systems are being retired in favour of scalable, future-proof frameworks.

As councils merge, legacy systems are facing obsolescence, driving even more councils toward open-source leaders like Drupal, and the Drupal distribution LocalGov Drupal.

Digital Health Check notes that Drupal ranked first in seven out of 10 council categories, making it the default choice for authorities looking to consolidate multiple web estates into a single, cohesive platform.

“With local government reorganisations pushing councils to merge systems and update legacy tech, choosing an open-source platform like Drupal is a no-brainer,” says Anthony.

“It gives local authorities a flexible, future-proof foundation that can adapt to changing user needs without locking them into expensive proprietary vendor models.”

Looking ahead

Whether it is reducing maintenance overheads, delivering accessibility out of the box, or freeing up budget to focus on user testing, LocalGov Drupal continues to prove its worth.

As long-time contributors to and builders with LocalGov Drupal, we are thrilled to see more councils joining the community and reaping the benefits of open-source collaboration.