Written by Glen Ocsko, Head of Local Government, Made Tech
For local government organisations looking to level up and digitally evolve, it can often feel like there are two opposing forces at play: the ever-changing needs of service users, and the lack of financial resources to make decisive, impactful change.
As we saw in my first article in this series, this inherent contradiction is not only endemic and upheld by services built on a foundation of legacy technology, but it also translates into a direct impact on the users, who need these services the most.
But there is a way…
Written by Gemma Elsworth, Head of Digital Performance Analytics, DWP
Head of Digital Performance Analytics Gemma Elsworth from DWP Digital shares why it’s important to build a culture of performance measurement.
Throughout my career, one saying that has always rung true is this: “Data and measurement is not important, until it is.”
What this has meant for me as an analyst is that no matter how many conversations I have about data collection, KPIs and success metrics, rarely is anyone interested until they want to know if the thing they built worked.
During the building of products, pressure is on…
Written by Liz O’Driscoll, Head of Innovation, Civica
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyone’s reality. This crisis has catalyzed the need to digitize across sectors and has shown the positive impact technology can have when it comes to working from home at least. But as we look forward, many public service organizations are looking for innovative ways and technologies to enhance services for everyone. One such area is immersive technologies.
From Augmented Reality (AR) to the fully immersive Virtual Reality (VR), immersive technologies vary in terms of complexity, immersion and usually cost. For some, VR and AR are just the…
Written by Lucy Turner Programme Manager, A Fairer Start mission, & Isabel Newman, Senior Programme Manager, A Fairer Start mission
Tuition is a vital part of supporting children whose education has been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, access to tutoring is often limited to the schools and parents that can most afford it. It’s estimated that around 80 per cent of disadvantaged pupils don’t have access to quality tuition.
Nesta is proud to have been part of the National Tutoring Programme, which supports schools in addressing this by giving them access to high-quality subsidised tutoring for as many disadvantaged…
Written by John McMahon, Product Director, IEG4
When you think of the main demographic of residents who use council services you tend to picture home-owners looking for council tax details, parents engaging with school services, or business owners looking for a licence. You think of this person perhaps being proficient in email, happy to jump on the phone to make a query, log in to a website for more information or make a payment, or even pop into their local council office to chase something up.
In reality, council services are used by a wider age range and the latest…
Written by Adrian Leer, Managing Director at Triad Group Plc
At the recent Digital Leaders Week conference, I was privileged to share a platform with Ben Towers and Eva Applebaum for our discussion around diversity and mental wellbeing within the workplace. The discussion itself was very rich and rewarding, but today I wanted to share some of my reflections as I was preparing for that discussion.
There has been, I believe, is a tendency to attribute all manner of things to Covid and its associated effect on society, particular lockdown and working from home. …
Written by Lorraine Smith, Divisional Managing Director, Civica
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way that local government services are delivered. The sheer amount of additional work meant that councils needed additional resources urgently. While the implementation of new technologies has helped local government organisations overcome some of the challenges, it’s the resilience, adaptability and tenacity of the workforce that has gotten everybody through.
According to a survey of global public sector leaders, nearly half of respondents said they had no remote workers prior to the pandemic. Yet the legacy of COVID-19 means that some employees may never return to…
Written by Cllr Andrew Western, GMCA Lead for Digital, Work and Skills
In June 2021, I was announced as new GMCA Lead for Digital, Work and Skills and spoke in this capacity during Digital Leaders Week 2021 when I opened our event “building a digital city region”. The event focussed on Greater Manchester’s attempt to build and develop a digital city in a post pandemic society. A society with tight finances, a weary economy and uncertain employment, teamed with a frustrated population and stressed health and care system.
Doing Digital Differently
The Greater Manchester Digital Blueprint was launched in February 2020 and is…
Written by Luke Morton, Chief Technology Officer, Made Tech
One of the top priorities for the public sector in recent times has become digital transformation, as public bodies seek to improve services and generate a greater return on investment through technology.
Though digital transformation is a focus, legacy technology still seems to be a hurdle that public sector organisations are struggling to overcome, with a recent study finding that 53% of central and local governments said it was one of the biggest barriers to transformation.
So, why is the public sector struggling with legacy technology? There can be multiple factors…
Written by Seth Finegan, UK CEO, Informed Solutions
Where we once envisioned digital versions of traditional services and businesses, now we are thinking about the clean version of services and businesses and how we can use data and technology to transition to a cleaner, greener future.
Last week I had the privilege of sharing a stage with Ofsted’s fantastic digital programme director, Bridget McBride, at the Digital Leaders Impact Awards. We were discussing the impact of digital on society, its achievements, challenges and what might happen next. …
