At a recent round table to discuss innovation, it became very clear to me that, while ‘digital’ is at the heart of the local government agenda, local authorities are only just making a real move to create a true digital lead – someone who is charged with transforming citizen engagement, driving better efficiencies and creating better outcomes particularly in health and social care.

Until now, according to those around the table, ‘digital’ was something that was split across multiple people, and seen as a ‘nice to have’, rather than an essential programme.

A number of local authorities represented, however, had created the role of chief digital officer to help drive the digital agenda. These – often board-level – appointments from the outside suggest that local government is putting digital at the heart of what it does, at least outwardly. But is this just paying lip service to the digital agenda?

For me, I believe there is a real need for a chief digital officer-type role in every local authority – someone who can champion the digital agenda and who understands what is needed to drive transformation within the organisation across its people, processes and technology. They also need to be senior enough to make people sit up and listen.

The trouble is, a chief digital officer needs to be someone with a rare set of skills, so it’s often a real challenge to find suitable candidates, whilst persuading budget holders of the their importance, and of the difference the right candidate could make.

It sounds obvious, but the two critical things a chief digital officer needs are a clear understanding of what the local region wants to achieve (at both a council-wide level and across health and social care), and the ability and knowledge to translate people’s frustrations into workable, achievable initiatives.

At the round table I mentioned earlier, alongside chief executives, were two such people – both from metropolitan authorities, both with the title of ‘chief digital officer’, and both with a background in local government IT. They talked through the challenges they faced in terms of first getting the buy-in from both their colleagues and elected members, but also the huge scope of work. They also talked briefly about how the skills they needed differed dramatically from their previous IT roles.

Whilst there will be those who’ve come up through the public sector ranks, I see many of the new digital appointments within local authorities coming from the private sector. This is partly because there is a wider pool of talent and skill sets, but also because they bring a different perspective on outcomes that can be achieved. This, for me, highlights the clamour for innovation that we’re seeing in the public sector – and the want at all levels to see success with digital.

There really is an opportunity for digital to drive improved services, reaching people by their preferred channel, whilst also cutting costs and streamlining processes, at a time when budgets are shrinking and expectations are growing.

So, to return to the question posed in the title, the answer is that every local authority needs a chief digital officer, and as soon as possible, to ensure everyone – local authorities, local health organisations, associated agencies, the third sector and, most importantly, the citizens – benefit from the move to digital local government services.

Phil Brunkard is Chief Information Officer, BT Local Government and Health