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Local t-Gov Newsletter - Spring 2007

Don't miss John Suffolk, Sir Nicholas Montagu, Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Peter Rogers and many more..

More than 350 delegates from almost half of English councils have now booked their places at t-Gov EXPO Spring (18 & 19 April 2007, ExCeL, London) - the unique annual forum designed by local authorities for local authorities to push forward the transformational government agenda.

You can book your place by clicking here to register using our secure online form.

Learn from the Leading Thinkers in Government and Business:

PLUS additional keynotes from Peter Rogers (Chief Executive of Westminster City Council), Sir Robin Wales (Mayor of the London Borough of Newham), Alan Jones (Chief Executive of Somerset County Council), Stephen Baker (Chief Executive of Suffolk Coastal District Council), high-level panel discussions and your choice of in-depth Expert Masterclasses on key themes such as: Transformation & Leadership; Customer Focus; Shared Services; Technology & Productivity; Redesigning Business Processes; Local Democracy & Social Exclusion.

In this issue...

t-Gov EXPO Spring

18 & 19 April 2007, ExCeL, London

Following on from the local e-gov EXPO series of events this year's t-Gov EXPO Spring has been designed by local authorities for local authorities, to answer the key questions that all councils now need to be asking themselves:

New for 2007… Alongside a series of high-level keynote sessions from government thought-leaders (see full agenda at www.tgovexpo.org.uk), our comprehensive programme of interactive Masterclasses and case studies will take place in a separate suite of dedicated breakout rooms, focusing on six key themes:

1. Leadership & Change Management

2. Customer Focus & Service

3. Shared Services & Collaboration

4. Technology & Transformational

5. Business Process Improvement

6. eDemocracy & Social Exclusion

t-Gov EXPO Spring 2007 will also present the UK's largest showcase of local authority service providers, providing a unique one-stop-shop for all strategic decision-makers and practitioners involved in transforming local government services.

Places at this important transformational local government forum currently cost just £195 + VAT - so please click here to book your place NOW.

www.tgovexpo.org.uk

Progress in first year of t-Gov

The Government progress report on Transformational Government: enabled by technology announced that at least 551 government websites are to be cut to make access to information easier for citizens and businesses.

In a move that will benefit tens of millions of users, only 26 of the websites examined so far are certain to be retained by Government, while 551 will go. Information of continuing relevance from closed sites will transfer to www.direct.gov.uk and www.businesslink.gov.uk.

The move is the natural next step for Government as citizens shift their interest to 'supersites' such as the Directgov and www.bbc.co.uk websites.

The report is the first of its kind in Europe and sets out that transformation in government is a long-term endeavour involving tough challenges. John Suffolk, government chief information Officer, said, "We operate in over 140 countries, spend some £12bn a year across the whole public sector and run many of the world's largest computer systems. The DWP makes 13 million benefits payments electronically every week - it's a complex operation."

Use of government IT has now reached a critical mass and ordinary citizens are at the heart of this new way of working. Learners have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of technology investment. One million primary school children now use e-learning in class each day and there is a three-fold improvement in the computer to pupil ratio.

The minister for transformational government, Pat McFadden, said, "This report demonstrates how millions of people are benefiting from our use of technology everyday. We are dealing decisively with the proliferation of government websites by getting rid of more than 500. We are ensuring that the quality of our services will not be affected by these changes."

Hundreds of millions are being saved by successful IT projects that receive little public attention. A ministry of defence effort known as 'Project Home' has revolutionised everything from how staff share secure information, where they sit and how their teams are structured. Transport for London, meanwhile, has saved 30 percent saved on human resources through a shared services centre.

Nearly 1.8m sign Number 10 e-petition

The road protest petition which closed on 20 February is the most popular on the Downing Street website to-date and proves that, over the right issues, citizens are keen to use e-democracy tools to communicate with politicians.

It called for the scrapping of a nationwide ‘pay-as-you-drive' road pricing policy, and has attracted a massive audience.

The government says the argument for road pricing "has to be made" and that doing nothing would lead to a 25 percent increase in congestion "in less than a decade".

The petition was posted on the No 10 site by Peter Roberts, of Telford, Shropshire, who has been a member of the Association of British Drivers since 2001. The petition is lodged as: "The idea of tracking every vehicle at all times is sinister and wrong. Road pricing is already here with the high level of taxation on fuel. The more you travel - the more tax you pay.

“It will be an unfair tax on those who live apart from families and poorer people who will not be able to afford the high monthly costs.

“Please Mr Blair - forget about road pricing and concentrate on improving our roads to reduce congestion."

Cllr David Sparks, chairman of the LGA's Transport and Regeneration Board said: "Regardless of which council leads on road pricing, the Local Government Association has made it clear to government that a substantial improvement in the transport infrastructure such as buses, trains, trams and cycling paths is absolutely essential. Otherwise, it will be poll tax revisited.

ePetitions - could they be right for your community?

ICELE, the International Centre of Excellence for Local eDemocracy, has a wealth of information about e-petitions on its website aimed at helping councils find out if the tool could be right for their local residents. Both Bristol City and Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames councils run popular petition sites that are regularly used by residents and councillors the highlights and lessons learnt from which are available on the website.

Looking for e-democracy funding?

A new funding section on ICELE's website gives details of who councils can apply to for funding of e-democracy projects and what resources are available to help you find funding.

www.icele.org

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/

Major take-up success for eAdmissions

The eAdmissions National Project has reported 18 percent national take-up of the service for the 2007 secondary school admissions round.

This was considerably higher than the 5-10 percent 'Excellent' target for the first year set by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The Project, which is jointly sponsored by the DCLG and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), is led by Hertfordshire County Council which achieved over 68 percent take-up in its fifth year of offering the service. Online school admissions are now available across the country to 1.5 million children and their parents, making applications to over 21,000 schools.

Although all applications, whether paper or online, are processed at the same time, high take-up of the online service has been driven by the significant benefits to parents, schools and local authorities. Parents, for example, are able to easily retrieve and amend the application as many times as necessary right up until the deadline date. Additionally, parents are also able to enjoy the peace of mind that comes with receiving an immediate confirmation of receipt via email when the application is completed.

Says Amanda Derrick, programme manager for the eAdmissions National Project, "I am absolutely delighted that online school admissions have proved so popular across the country. The project, LAs and software providers have worked hard over the last two years towards this and it is great to see that parents, local authorities and schools are now benefiting from the service.

"The achievements that this project has made over the last few years have been significant. It was important to us that everyone could take advantage of the service and through sharing research, best practice and individual local authority experiences we have established effective ways of overcoming potential issues such as ensuring access for all. We are now looking forward to equally successful results for primary admissions rounds"

According to Monica Spiers, a Bedfordshire parent who applied online this year: "Applying for a school place for your child can be a daunting time for any parent. You worry about losing the form, filling it in wrong or that it might not reach the local authority. The online school admissions system offers solutions to all of these problems and I would recommend it as a stress free alternative to any parent who applies in the future.”

Parents may also access additional schools information through their LA's admissions website such as OFSTED reports

Top Ten eAdmissions Councils

1st London Borough of Hackney 80.5%

2nd Hertfordshire County Council 68.2%

3rd North Somerset Council 65.2%

4th Plymouth City Council 57.7%

5th East Riding of Yorkshire Council 51.9%

6th Slough Borough Council 51.7%

7th Bristol City Council 51.0%

8th Devon County Council 50.0%

9th Oxfordshire County Council 42.9%

10th Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council 42.9%

eAdmissions wins national award

The eAdmissions National Project won the Local e-Government Excellence award for Take-up at the e-Government National Awards 2006.

New voting pilots announced

May's local elections will see a new batch of pilots testing e-voting and e-counting technology.

The pilots aim to test the effectiveness of innovations designed to improve participation and access to elections, enhance security and improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of election processes.

Bridget Prentice, elections minister at the DCA, said: "We need to test innovations on a local scale before we can think about making any decisions about the future.

"We need to make sure that people can vote in more convenient ways consistent with a modern lifestyle.

"Not everyone can get to a polling station, so we need to introduce new ways to make it easier for people to exercise their right to vote.

"More and more people, and particularly young people, are using the internet everyday. We need to see if we can use this to encourage people even more to participate in the democratic process."

Each pilot will be fully evaluated by the independent Electoral Commission, which will publish its findings by August 2007. The Commission will consider the impact of innovations on participation, security and cost effectiveness.

The pilot schemes will be delivered and managed by local authority returning officers.

www.dca.gov.uk/elections/index.htm

Regional centres win ministerial approval

Financial secretary to the Treasury, John Healey, has given his backing to the role of the Regional Centres of Excellence (RCEs) as the agents for transforming local government procurement.

He made his comments in a major announcement on the future role of the Office of Government Commerce.

The OGC will be a smaller, more focused, higher calibre organisation that will drive transformation through central government and the steps to achieve these goals are set out in the report, Transforming Government Procurement.

The financial secretary also recognised the important role of the RCE's Procurement Programme and the major professional buying organisations (known as the Pro5) which are set to unlock millions of pounds from local government procurement by making excellent deals available to all local authorities.

The announcement signals clear recognition of and confidence in the regional change agents such as the RCEs, a move welcomed by Task Force.

David Jenkins, member of the chief executives' task force and chief executive of Dorset County Council, said, "This is an important announcement because it clarifies and strengthens the role of the RCEs in the transformation of local government procurement.

“It recognises the significant achievements already made by local authorities: many of the best examples of public procurement come from this sector. It is very encouraging to know that the Regional Centres of Excellence have the confidence of government at the highest level."

seth.brook@rcoe.gov.uk

E-procurement buys savings

Public sector organisations in the South West, West Midlands and South East are set to realise almost £14m in cashable savings by 2010 as a result of e-auctions held in the South West.

Recent auctions supported by the South West Centre of Excellence, for agency staff, wheeled bins, stationery/paper, and protective gloves have involved 28 local authorities as well as six NHS organisations and one police authority.

All of these auctions have established frameworks agreements which are available for other public sector organisations to take advantage of.

Julian Morley, director of the South West Centre of Excellence, said, "E-auctions are playing an increasingly important role in helping local authorities achieve much needed Gershon efficiency savings. With local government facing a tougher financial future, the South West Centre of Excellence is committed to supporting more eauctions to help local authorities cut costs on many commonly bought goods and services in order to release money for front-line services."

The South West Centre of Excellence working with e-auction experts e-Three has supported these auctions through its e-auction programme aimed at encouraging collaboration to achieve both cashable and non-cashable savings.

The South West Centre of Excellence has a programme of other auctions planned for 2007 including personal protective equipment, printed materials, sheds/fencing, vehicle fuel, furniture and road salt. For further information contact Gillian Brindle at the South West Centre of Excellence g.brindle@dorsetcc.gov.uk

DigiTV puts Transport Direct on TV

The local government digital TV portal ‘Looking Local' has teamed up with transport and journey planning provider, Transport Direct, to offer train and bus timetables and nationwide travel news for roads as well as public transport services on digital interactive TV.

The Transport Direct service can now be accessed by digital interactive TV viewers across the country, bringing this important service to the widest possible audience. Viewers of Sky, ntl: and Telewest, as well as a limited number of interactive Freeview owners, can now get the latest travel news as well as find out train and bus times, at any time of day, by simply picking up their remote control – and all for free.

Transport minister, Stephen Ladyman, said, "Thanks to Transport Direct, for the first time travellers are able to see the different choices available to them in one place. Transport Direct offers people greater choice, putting all the travel information they need at their fingertips. Now thanks to the partnership with DigiTV it is also available for the first time through digital interactive TV. This is a real achievement and is an excellent example of how working together can deliver something of real value to people."

Steve Langrick, Kirklees Interactive Services manager, who runs the DigiTV service is excited about the new partnership. “Transport is a key local service and sits well with the type of content and interactive services already being offered by local government via Looking Local. The integration of Transport Direct is great news and yet again demonstrates the benefits to citizens of central and local government working in partnership”

With over 70% of homes now owning at least one digital TV set, TV is becoming a well used communication channel. In a recent poll running on Looking Local, over 46% of participants said they did not have access to a PC, so could not use web services. Their preferred method of contacting government organisations was by telephone, in person or by letter, all of which costs a significant amount per transaction. Digital TV is helping to bring electronic services to those without PC access and encourage efficiencies; initiatives like Transport Direct only serve to make it more useful.

www.digitv.gov.uk

www.transportdirect.info

Councils are central to successful cohesion, says commission

Local councils are central to building strong, cohesive communities in our villages, towns and cities, says the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, an independent body set up by Government to look at the barriers to good community relations.

The commission's interim statement says councils are "the stewards of overall social, economic and environmental wellbeing" and have a hugely influential role in bringing people together through local initiatives and approaches.

The statement highlights a number of barriers to cohesion which it will investigate further before releasing its final report in July, such as the importance of speaking English and the worrying prevalence of myths and misconceptions about the allocation of public services.

Sixty percent of people surveyed by the commission identified not speaking English as the key barrier to "being English", while more than half of people said they thought some groups in Britain get unfair priority when it comes to public services.

Sir Jeremy Beecham, vice-chairman of the Local Government Association, said: "As the only body directly elected by local people to represent them, councils have a duty to ensure that everyone in their locality feels respected and lives with a sense of responsibility and belonging.

"Councils are uniquely placed to bring together the many organisations that contribute to life in our local areas, and it's vital we use our capacity as community leaders to make links with local businesses, partners and the voluntary sector to understand issues which are barriers to cohesive communities, and tackle them head on."

"As employers, councils are committed to making sure their workforce is representative of the local community. Similarly, local authorities across the country are working hard to encourage more people from minority groups to fulfill their potential as community champions and stand for election as a councillor.”

www.lga.gov.uk

Academy for executive leadership

IDeA has launched an Academy for Executive Leadership in response to feedback from some of the most senior executives in local government identifying a need for a programme that would go far beyond day to day leadership issues and explore the longer-term strategic, political and democratic issues that will shape the future of local government.

The programme will be delivered by SOLACE Enterprises and Ashridge Business School - utilising SOLACE Enterprises' unique knowledge of and affinity with senior executives, and Ashridge's reputation for delivering high level programmes.

The Academy for Executive Leadership comprises two, three-day residential modules at Ashridge's venue in Hertfordshire, plus two practical days delivered by the IDeA.

To register your interest, please contact Liz Cole on 020 7296 6632 or email liz.cole@idea.gov.uk

www.idea.gov.uk

New vision for Your London card scheme

London Connects has launched a vision of how a single card can be used to access a range of public services in London.

“People feel most strongly about the places where they live. Being part of the local community is an important aspect of their lives. The Your London Card scheme could enable them to gain access to local authority services whether near to home or out and about in London,” said a spokesman for London Connects.

A part of belonging to a local community is interaction with local authority services. Needs and expectations have become ever more complex and interactions with local authorities reflect this. The Your London Card will provide the support needed to make these interactions easier and more consistent. Local authorities will therefore benefit from increased efficiency and save the overhead of issuing many different card types for different services.

Additionally, a commonly branded smartcard promotes equality by offering school meals or authentication for benefits payments without any associated stigma.

Visitors to London, including commuters and tourists, will benefit from improved accessibility to services and will potentially become a source of revenue for the local community when they use sports centres, libraries, etc. The Your London Card could carry the Oyster facility, allowing a single card to support many aspects of day to day life and expanding multi-mode transport usage in the Greater London area. Beyond this, the card could provide special discounts, loyalty rewards and other services - for example enabling cultural initiatives (such as discounted theatre tickets) to be targeted at children or older people.

www.londonconnects.gov.uk

Parties responsible for making councillors more representative

New figures from the Improvement and Development Agency and Local Government Association on the age, gender and ethnicity of councillors show that local government and the political parties must work harder to ensure a greater diversity of elected members.

The 2006 IDeA/LGA Councillor Census shows the unequal gender balance of councillors is unchanged since 2004. The average age of councillors has risen slightly and there has been a small increase in the number of black, Asian and minority ethnic councillors.

Paul Coen, chief executive of the LGA, said: "Councils can take some steps to reduce the barriers to people from all parts of the community becoming councillors. But the selection of candidates is primarily an issue for the political parties to urgently address. Councillors are elected to put local people first, and it is important that they are representative of the communities they serve.

"The LGA's local democracy campaign is calling on all councils to connect more widely with young people to encourage them to the political platform and we are supporting a nationwide drive to recruit more women, and black, Asian and minority ethnic councillors."

The census figures show that the proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic councillors has increased to four per cent of the total, compared to 3.5 per cent in 2004. The average age of councillors in England is 58, and 69 per cent are male

www.idea.gov.uk

Framework contract for generating efficiency savings

A group of 14 East Midland councils have joined together in a collaborative exercise to create an innovative framework contract for agency staff set to generate millions of pounds of efficiency savings.

The group is to engage Comensura - a managed service provider of temporary agency staff - to provide a vendor neutral management service for the 14 authorities for a minimum of three years.

It is estimated that the combined spend of those currently participating in the framework is in the region of £4m per annum. If the current partners make use of this framework to its fullest potential then cashable savings of up to 10 percent per annum could be realised.

The framework contract is open to all public service bodies in the UK and is set to generate millions of pounds of efficiency savings nationally.

ESPO and Comensura will be hosting an open day on Thursday 29th March 2007 for public sector bodies who would like to learn more about this framework contract and the steps needed to be taken in order to participate.

www.emce.gov.uk/publications.htm#Procurement

Love Birmingham, love digital

Digital Birmingham, a partnership between Birmingham City Council, commercial organisations such as BT and local voluntary groups, celebrated its first anniversary with an interactive showcase in Victoria Square on Wednesday 14 February.

Visitors were able to have a go at using the internet, blogging and podcasting, using interactive digital television and gaming.

Digital Birmingham is helping Birmingham citizens and businesses benefit from digital technologies with its mission to become the leading European Digital City by 2010.

Birmingham's deputy leader, councillor Paul Tilsley, said, "I hope Birmingham people are being inspired by the many exciting digital projects happening across the city that will transform us into becoming a leading Digital City.

“The developments are starting to make a real difference to how people will be able to access local services and information, anytime, any place, using digital TV, the new wireless City Centre network and the computers in the community project.”

OGCbuying.solutions OnLine e-catalogue news

Carefree mobile computing: A dream or a reality?

Pressure to do more with less, combined with technological advances is driving the adoption of new ways of working within the public sector. But with more workers demanding the flexibility mobility brings, how do you balance this freedom with the risk it brings?

Toshiba has looked to address the real world challenges of mobile computing with Toshiba EasyGuard a suite of features that combine to create a more protected, more secure and more manageable notebook. This next generation computing experience incorporates technologies enabling optimal connectivity and security, Toshiba anti-accident innovations and advanced software utilities.

Toshiba is so confident in the quality and reliability that its notebooks and Toshiba EasyGuard offer, that they are offering a full money back guarantee on any Satellite Pro A120 or Tecra A8 notebook that fails and is repaired or replaced under warranty - the offer is only available until 31st March 2007.

Schools encouraged to take advantage of IT recycling

NEC Computers is launching a new drive to encourage schools throughout the UK to take advantage of its new UltraClean recycling programme, which is free to educational establishments until the end of the fiscal year.

The UltraClean recycling programme enables schools to call on NEC expertise to organise the removal of hazardous substances in accordance with EU regulations. This innovative service includes the return and disposal of a minimum of 25 units including; desktops, notebooks, monitors, printers and servers - regardless of the machine manufacturer.

Public Sector water savings benefit the world's poorest countries

A new initiative from ADSM will see one percent of the revenue from its public sector contracts go to WaterAid, the UK charity dedicated to the provision of safe domestic water.

This 2007 initiative gives public sector organisations the opportunity to directly contribute to sustainability in the UK whilst contributing to the supply of fresh water in developing countries. ADSM helps public sector organisations to reduce water usage and leakage across buildings and sites. It achieves this by using a water saving diagnostic tool developed from the initial work carried out under the WaterMark initiative. This tool is now being delivered by ADSM via the WaterMarkplus brand and is available through the OGCbuying.solutions Water Services Management framework.

www.online.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk

Northumberland wins IT industry 'Oscar'

A cost-effective desktop refresh programme from Computacenter has helped Northumberland County Council scoop a prestigious national award.

The council was named IT Department of the Year in the Computing Awards for Excellence 2006 after judges heard how the council had increased staff morale, improved IT performance levels and reduced its desktop procurement costs by more than 60 percent.

One of the key success factors for achieving these savings was the council's decision to out-task the refresh programme for its 3,500 desktops and laptops to Computacenter. Under the three-year contract, Computacenter is responsible for sourcing, configuring and installing the new workstations as well as disposing of the legacy hardware in compliance with environmental legislation.

Peter Gallon, Head of IT for Northumberland County Council, commented: "In the space of four years, the council has gone from having one of the highest costs for desktop acquisition to one of the lowest. Working with Computacenter has enabled us to decrease the total cost of ownership for our desktop estate, which means we are able to focus our IT investment and resources on more strategic activities."

As well as deploying the council's new workstations, which are standardised on hardware from Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Computacenter's Services division (Computacenter Services) provides the local authority with ongoing desktop support services.

Flexitime to crack glass ceiling

UNISON has welcomed a government minister's call for everybody to have access to flexible working.

Children's minister Beverley Hughes made the call in an essay for the Institute for Public Policy Research, published as part of a collection called Politics for a New Generation: The Progressive Movement - by leading Labour figures, published to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the 1997 general election.

With flexible working largely available taken up by working mothers, it has come to be seen as a reinforcing the glass ceiling, making it harder for women to gain promotion.

UNISON has campaigned for universal flexible working for some years.

"It is the only way to stop flexible working from being seen as a mummy track," commented policy officer Michelle Singleton. "It's a win-win policy which reduces absenteeism and boosts employee morale"

Ms Hughes' call for flexible working to be available to all, not just parents of young children, has not been raised within government though: in the department for trade and industry, the department for work and Pensions, or the department for education and skills, where Ms Hughes is a minister.

A spokesperson for the DTI told UNISON: "There is nothing in the pipeline to do with what the minister is saying.

"However, the Work and Families Act is coming into force and so there will be an extension of maternity Leave to nine months by April, extending to 12 months by the end of the Parliament."

The DTI also pointed out that flexible working rights will be extended to carers in April, benefiting up to 2.8 million people.

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