UK Local Government Collaboration, personalisation and online services: key digital issues for councils across the UK

What’s on the agenda for UK councils in 2014? You can probably guess: Cost savings, efficiency, doing more for less…

So, the O2 Local Government Digital Forum commissioned some research:

And we work directly with councils.

• Smarter Working Britain, an independent report published in partnership with the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr)

• The O2 Digital Communities Report • We also supported research by the

New Local Government Network, called Smart People, Smart Places

We found some enlightening statistics and attitudes…

What’s on the agenda for UK councils in 2014?

The O2 Digital Communities Report

Nearly half of people interviewed (48% of a total of 2027 consumers) said they would like to use digital services like apps and social media to interact with their local council.

61% of citizens feel that the digital services provided by their councils are either unreliable, or simply unavailable.

The Digital Communities Report also found significant frustrations about the quality and accuracy of information being delivered by councils:

84% of people claimed that the information they receive from their local authority is often out of date

82% think the information is incomplete

71% say it’s simply not relevant to them

Getting everyone connected

Unlocking the benefits Smart People, Smart Places also told us:

Digital can unlock benefits for councils in three overarching areas:

• The delivery of better and more cost-effective outcomes, especially through more integrated and citizen-centred services.

• The engagement and empowerment of citizens and communities.

• Cleaner, greener and more economically vibrant places.

We also found three key issues that are really pushing the digital buttons for

UK Local Government…

Improving collaboration, between organisations and between people, both to boost efficiency and to deliver a better citizen experience.

1. Collaboration

Members of Buckinghamshire County Council presented their benefits calculator to the Local Government Digital Fund judges. It has been developed in partnership with a variety of third-party organisations, and gives frontline staff a powerful tool to show people the whole picture of what help is available.

Collaboration

“Each of the partners has been involved from a very early stage, so they’ve informed the development of this…”

To find out more watch the video on the next slide…

2. Digital service delivery Getting closer to citizens and providing better service – ideally using digital channels.

Newcastle City Council are developing a SelfTrav app, which uses tracking technology to help young people with learning disabilities travel safely on public transport.

Digital service delivery

“We feel this will revolutionise how we deliver our special educational needs and disabilities transport…”

To find out more watch the video on the next slide…

3. Digital inclusion: getting everyone connected

Bridging the digital divide – getting more people connected, including the 10 million+ aged over 60, and those who may not have easy access to the internet.

Members of Scarborough Borough Council proposed a programme of digital mentoring, where young people share their digital skills with older people in more remote parts of the community, helping them to get connected.

Digital inclusion

“We want it to be seen as something that benefits their whole life… and really tackles improving wellbeing across the older population…”

To find out more watch the video on the next slide…

What’s at stake? According to the Smarter Working Britain report :

Better connectivity could save the ‘average individual working in Local Government’

153 hours a year.

Better access to digital services could lead to improvements in services worth

£1.6 billion a year.

The way forward

Collaboration

Digital service delivery

Digital services take away the barriers to communication, allowing Local Authorities and public sector bodies to work together to address local government challenges.

Councils can get better insights into what really matters to the people they serve, and make sure the services they provide meet those needs and expectations.

Digital inclusion

Efficiency, cost reduction, doing more with less

Everyone needs to benefit if things are going more digital – councils need to make sure that all sectors of the population have ready access to digital services.

This still matters, and achieving the first three points will make a vital contribution to delivering savings and process improvements.

Find out more

The O2 Digital Communities Report Find out more and get the report >

Smart People, Smart Places Find out more and get the report >

The Local Government Digital Fund o2.co.uk/lgdf

Smarter Working Britain Find out more and get the report >

Thank you

Visit o2.co.uk/localgovernment

0800 955 5590

publicsectorteam@o2.com