Digital services


What you want versus what you need: a guide to service design for councils 16/08/2021 Coca Rivas, director of design at dxw, provides a guide to service design for councils.
Three councils to test simplified planning apps 01/07/2021 Three councils have designed and are now testing two apps designed to speed up planning applications for housing extensions.
Public services to public communication 11/06/2021 Paul Johnston and Leyla Delcorde explain why the pandemic has led to a new era of engaging citizens.
Navigating local government reorganisation - smoothing service integration 09/06/2021 Steve White looks at how councils can best navigate the complex issues around local government reorganisation and IT.
Datagraphic: "Document automation the key to hybrid working" 23/04/2021 According to leading UK provider of secure end-to-end document automation solutions, Datagraphic, payroll was one of operations that needed to adapt most quickly during the pandemic.
Falkirk first Scottish council to safeguard digital telecare 23/04/2021 Falkirk Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to launch an end-to-end digital telecare service.
Commission calls on councils to improve digital services for social care 23/03/2021 Not enough local authorities or care providers are using the available technology within social care to keep people safe at home, a new study finds.
Why councils should embrace electronic ID verification 17/11/2020 Barley Laing argues that electronic ID verification is crucial as the pandemic drives digitalisation.
Research shows just over a tenth of councils have fully digitalised all citizen records 16/11/2020 Only 11% of local authorities have fully digitalised all of their citizen records, new research has revealed.
Digital secretary announces £2.6m data sharing project 09/09/2020 The Government today launched a National Data Strategy, which includes a new multi-million pound project to address barriers to data sharing.
Ministers urge councils to help ‘boost’ digital connectivity 27/08/2020 Government ministers have today written to local authorities setting out how they can help boost gigabit broadband rollout and 5G mobile coverage.
Unlocking the opportunity to transform children and young people services 19/08/2020 Hannah Saunders and Fiona Gold say now is the time to act and transform children and young people services.
Lesson learned: Digitalization efforts help prepare for the unexpected 06/07/2020 Lindsay Pica-Alfano calls on local government to move forward with digitalization efforts.
Designing digital services for future citizens 03/07/2020 Dave Mann argues that trust, transparency and usability will be key to creating good digital public services in a new world.
Council secures funding to tackle digital exclusion 11/03/2020 Stockport Council has been awarded £50,000 to extend digital inclusion support to local residents.
Councils adopt AI solutions to save £195m 09/03/2020 A national survey has revealed that local authorities expect to save over £195m in 2020 by introducing artificial intelligence (AI) technology techniques.
Councils to receive share of £4.5m to roll out digital social care projects 11/02/2020 Sixteen organisations that provide adult social care services are to receive a share of £4.5m to enable them to roll out digital projects on a wider scale.
Scottish residents ‘excited’ about digitisation 03/12/2019 Eight in 10 Scottish citizens believe their local councils should embrace a wider range of digital technologies, a poll has revealed.
Council-led digital projects get £500,000 boost 31/10/2019 Seven council-led digital technology projects are set to receive grants of up to £100,000, according to the Government.
Hull aims to be ‘one of smartest cities in the world’ with new partnership 14/10/2019 A new partnership between Hull CC and smart city operator Connexin is set to put Hull among ‘the world leaders in smart city technology’, council says.
Direct messaging service to save taxpayers £175m 26/09/2019 The Government says its messaging service is set to save taxpayers an average of £35m a year over the next five years.
Councils ‘best placed’ to understand digital needs of local areas 18/09/2019 The Local Government Association says councils have a central role to play in making sure people in rural areas have access to the fastest broadband services.
How to comply with the UK’s new public sector web accessibility laws 17/09/2019 Ross Linnett, founder and CEO of Recite Me, looks at the UK’s new public sector web accessibility laws.
Greater Manchester to invest over £14m in ‘digital transformation' 29/08/2019 Greater Manchester is set to see £14.3m invested into digital transformation which aims to allow the safe and secure sharing of health-related information.
Digital public services that deliver 23/08/2019 Nick Pike explores the challenges facing chief digital officer in driving forward Local Digital Declarations.
Councils urged to apply for £7.5m digital innovation fund 19/08/2019 The Government has invited local authorities to apply for funding to help explore how digital technology can boost frontline services.
Digital leadership and social value ecosystems 02/08/2019 Philip Baulch explores the role of the digital leader in driving culture change.
A platform-first approach 09/07/2019 Craig White, business development director at Arcus Global, looks at digital transformation across the local government sector.
Bringing efficiencies to the new Blue Badge digital service process 16/04/2019 With the Department for Transport’s new Blue Badge digital process now live, Hannah Buckley talks through the council’s strategy and transformative approach in responding to the challenges and timeframes.
Councils given over £1m for chatbots 10/12/2018 Local authorities will be given almost £1.3m to investigate how digital technology such as chatbots, artificial intelligence and websites can improve services.
Get set for a mobile workplace 23/11/2018 Keiron Salt looks at the key digital possibilities and enablers for health and care starting with the potential of mobile computing and communication.
Matching digital ambitions to community outcomes 26/07/2018 Scotland is working to an ambitious digital agenda in the public sector. To reach more sparsely populated areas with the same range and depth of services as urban areas, Scotland needs to make the most of its connections, and use them in smarter ways. Simon Haston reports.
Local councils urged to bid for EU wi-fi funding before Brexit 22/05/2018 Town and city councils are being urged to bid for an EU grant to install public wi-fi before Brexit comes into effect.
Councils welcome open source library for digital services 16/05/2018 Local authorities have welcomed a new open source library which will help them share digital services.
£1m social care digital fund announced 14/05/2018 Councils who come up with innovative uses of digital technology in the delivery of adult social care will be able to apply for a share of a new £1m fund.
Attend the launch of a new digital platform for local government 09/04/2018 Join Pythagoras for the launch of a new digital platform transforming citizen services within local government on Wednesday 18th April at The Shard in London.
Digital business models could save public sector £46bn, think tank argues 28/03/2018 A reduction of duplicated administrative processes and adoption of digital business models could save the public sector billions per year, think tank claims.
NHS Digital awards £1.4m to tackle delayed transfers of care 27/03/2018 NHS Digital have awarded £1.4m to projects that help ease the process of moving patients from hospitals to social care.
Delivering digital solutions 29/09/2017 Delivering solutions for digital organisations, digital employees, and digital citizens, with embedded security.
Council to test how Amazon Echo can support older people 29/08/2017 Hampshire County Council will become the first local authority to use new Amazon Echo technology to help older people live independently in their homes for longer.
Thinking digitally 20/07/2017 Digital transformation can enable councils to run more smoothly - if everyone gets on board. William Eichler talks to Richard Godfrey, assistant director for digital at Peterborough, about ‘thinking digitally’.
Councils awarded £50,000 for digital approach to social care 17/07/2017 Over a dozen local authorities have been selected to receive tens of thousands of pounds worth of funding for projects which use digital technology to transform social care.
Government announces £400m digital infrastructure fund 03/07/2017 Whitehall has today announced the launch of a £400m digital infrastructure fund designed to ‘kick-start’ better broadband connections across the country.
Sector fury at Vodafone backtrack 24/05/2017 Telecoms giant Vodafone has ‘annoyed’ councils by back-tracking on plans to unbundle its services while hiking prices at the same time, The MJ has learned.
Majority believe local gov services ‘not connected’ 16/05/2017 Over 80% of UK citizens currently think local government services are not connected, research reveals.
Front line staff ‘left behind’ on digital journey, report finds 28/04/2017 A ‘digital knowledge deficit’ among front line staff is holding back the effectiveness of change programmes in local authorities, new research reveals.
Councils expected to save millions through adoption of digital self-service 24/04/2017 A new digital transformation survey has found the main aim of local authorities over the next few years is to ensure the majority of council services are available through digital self-service.
Digital: Less talk more action 24/03/2017 Phil Brunkard explains why taking bold decisions to drive the digital agenda does not need to be as scary as it sounds.
The danger of digital exclusion 22/03/2017 Phil Brunkard reports from the recent 'Smart Essex' event, examining how services can move online without leaving anyone behind.
Does local government need chief digital officers? 22/03/2017 Phil Brunkard explains why every local authority should create a chief digital officer-type role.
Winners of £4m tech funding to improve journeys are revealed 21/02/2017 Nineteen councils will share £4m funding to deliver tech projects that cut congestion and improve parking in city centres.
Councils should secure digital services commitment when outsourcing 10/02/2017 Local authorities should secure a digital services commitment when negotiating outsourcing arrangements, survey report says.
Councils awarded share of £25m disabilities fund 20/12/2016 Over 50 local authorities have been awarded a share of a multi-million pound housing and technology fund for people with learning disabilities.
Driving digital transformation in children’s services 19/12/2016 Mark Raeburn examines some of the challenges and opportunities local authorities are experiencing in delivering a successful channel shift.
Britain in ‘digital slow lane’, commission warns 14/12/2016 Local authorities should work with network providers to ensure the deployment of 5G across the country, commission says.
Give people more to do less 29/11/2016 How much effort is it costing the user to get the end result they want? Bob Quin argues this ques-tion is the key to successful online services.
ICT leaders should adopt ‘place as a platform’ approach says Socitm 07/11/2016 Senior ICT managers should be planning their future strategies around ‘platforms’ and ‘places’, says Socitm.
Local government ‘worst’ sector for billing practices 24/10/2016 Councils and energy companies rank lowest for their billing practices, new research reveals.
Whitehall’s USO should include social tariff, LGA says 20/10/2016 The Government's broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) should include a social tariff for those ‘most in need’, council chiefs say.
GOV.UK Verify selects 19 councils for pilot project 04/10/2016 Nineteen local authorities have agreed to take part in a pilot scheme to explore how a secure ID assurance system can be integrated into online services.
Simplifying service delivery processes saves council £4m 23/09/2016 Aylesbury Vale District Council transformed its approach to digital services and saved £4m by adopting the ‘simplify, standardise and share’ approach.
How Orlando Bloom, Emma Thompson and Simon Cowell affect your job 09/09/2016 How many of your service users share a distaste for technology, asks Bob Quin.
Young people call for online voting for future elections 03/08/2016 Over half of young people would be more likely to vote in future elections and referendums if they could do so via a phone, tablet or computer, according to new research.
Councils predict two-thirds of services to be online in next three years 20/07/2016 Local government expects to deliver more than two-thirds of services online by 2019, a new survey has revealed.
Digital inclusion and beyond 19/07/2016 William Eichler finds out why the introduction of Universal Credit inspired a housing association to help bridge the digital divide for residents
26 Scottish councils join forces on digital transformation 27/05/2016 A consortium of twenty-six local authorities in Scotland are joining forces to improve council services using digital technology.
Let’s get digital say council bosses 24/05/2016 Four leading local government groups have joined forces to call on council leaders to use digital technology to help transform services.
Look to the future 13/05/2016 Dean Wanless examines how council data sharing is supporting innovative work on health and social care
Why skills will be key to digital transformation 12/05/2016 James Norman explains why having the right resources is key to digital transformation in local government.
Council signs new deal with tech company 28/04/2016 A council has partnered with Arcus Global in a move that updates its approach to digital government.
Simplify, standardise and share! Digital design principles for the future 26/04/2016 William Eichler finds out if a more more standardised, digital approach could improve the delivery of local government services.
Council creates new app to help vulnerable children 13/04/2016 A new app to help vulnerable children to talk about their experiences has been launched by West Sussex County Council.
Digital standard 'big step forward' for local government 08/04/2016 The new Local Government Digital Service Standard has been hailed as a 'big step forward' for the way councils deliver digital services.
Town halls receive funding to develop digital solutions 05/04/2016 Councils receive hundreds of thousands of pounds in funding to support digital transformation schemes aimed at improving local services.
Launch of Local Digital Coalition 05/04/2016 A new coalition to help councils develop internet-based services has been launched.
A rethink on data protection is needed to keep council channel shift plans on track 31/03/2016 With security incidents in local government becoming more frequent, Chris Brine-Howe, chief information security officer at arvato UK & Ireland, explains that authorities need to put the right data protection processes in place to keep online services secure and avoid substantial fines from forthcoming regulations.
Councils must reform information governance arrangements, says Socitm 31/03/2016 Councils should review their information governance arrangements ahead of impending changes to data protection and online privacy laws, warns Socitm.
Peterborough's digital revolution 29/03/2016 Andrew Lawson shines the spotlight on Peterborough City Council – a local government authority making the most of cloud technologies to improve efficiencies, while simultaneously improving front-line services to its citizens.
Digital by Default could save councils £14.7bn a year says report 15/03/2016 Councils could save £14.7bn a year if they made use of new digital technologies such as apps and online platforms, according to a report published today.
Council secures £92m IT deal 14/03/2016 The Scottish Borders Council has signed a £92m digital services contract with CGI, which includes setting up a Scottish ICT Delivery Centre of Excellence.
Council makes ‘significant savings’ with online services 03/03/2016 Wolverhampton city council says it is on track to make £1.5m savings by 2018 by increasing the use of online services.
London boroughs form combined IT service 03/03/2016 A third north London borough is to join two neighbours to form a new combined IT service.
New digital standard for council services set to be launched 02/03/2016 A new set of standards designed to improve the quality of council services delivered digitally will be launched at the end of March.
Is your organisation ready for the digital revolution? 18/02/2016 Why local government should be open to innovative systems and services.
Who is responsible for leading change in public sector organisations? 10/02/2016 How can CIOs convince the rest of the business that they should be the individuals who lead the organisation’s digital transformation?
Libraries get funding boost 08/02/2016 The Arts Council have announced new funding for libraries totaling more than half a million pounds.
Half of the UK’s counties enable older persons' bus pass applications online, survey finds 06/01/2016 Half of the UK’s counties now enable older persons' bus pass applications online, according to a survey carried out by Better Connected.
Using the lessons of Digital Nudge 14/12/2015 William Eichler finds out how councils are using 'Digital Nudge' innovations to deliver savings and improve policy at a local level.
Digitalisation could add up to £13bn to the Scottish economy 10/12/2015 Increased digitalisation could add up to £13bn to the Scottish economy, according to a recent Deloitte report.
Digital content from councils not ‘up to scratch’ claims survey 08/12/2015 People are failing to recommend or share information from their local authority online, a new survey has revealed.
Manchester scopes £10m to become 'smart city' 03/12/2015 Talking bus stops and sensors in parks to encoruage people to do more excerise will soon be seen throughout Manchester thanks to £10m grant.
Local authorities looking to invest in e-invoicing 10/11/2015 39% of local authorities are looking to invest in e-invoicing in the next 12 months, according to research conducted by iGov.
New group to drive digital reforms 10/11/2015 A new ministerial group has been launched to help drive through reforms to digital public services and improve data security.
Plugging the digital staffing deficit 10/11/2015 Peter Robbins says it’s a manpower deficit, not a lack of digital skills that’s hampering public sector digitisation.
Delivering on digital 04/11/2015 Alan Mo outlines some the barriers facing councils looking at digital transformation
£2.6m promised to improve Wifi in libraries 26/10/2015 Libraries will receive over £2.6m in funding to provide free WiFi to users, according to Arts Council England.
Greenwich announces strategy to become a ‘Smart City’ 22/10/2015 The Royal Borough of Greenwich launched its strategy today outlining how it intends to become a ‘Smart City’.
Event explores issue of digital disruption 21/10/2015 'Take the people out of the question. The sooner someone builds Skynet the better,' joked Richard Godfrey, the assistant director of Digital Peterborough, referring to the all-powerful computer programme from the Terminator movies.
Council leader rejects standardised approach to digitisation 20/10/2015 'No where in the world--and I include China in this - is local government so centralised,' according to Conservative Cllr Peter Fleming, leader of Sevenoaks District Council.
App stacking 13/10/2015 Joel Dolisy explains how councils can avoid a 'House of Cards' approach to app stack development.

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Public Property

This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.

The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.