local e-gov EXPO - January/February Briefings for Chief Executives and Members
e-Gov makes the modernising difference
The January/February series of local e-gov EXPO's showed the real commitment and understanding of Chief Executive's and Members towards the use of 'e' in modernising services.
Over 160 chief executives and members attended the five high-level briefing sessions arranged to discuss the Benefits Studies recently published by the local e-gov National Projects - six of the 22 Projects have been used to illustrate the potential cost savings, service improvements and other benefits that could be obtained - valued at £1.7bn over all.
The debate at each of the events was lively and two-way. A fuller list of the topics discussed will be published here shortly, but the main issues concerning chief execs and members today are:
- more collaboration is needed - and planned - between councils and between other public sector agencies;
- the need to address local priorities by using 'e' - not just the national priorities and targets;
- there is a need for real and tangible national infrastructure in the areas of authentication, security and standards - without them, the public purse will suffer.
“There is a growing realisation that 'e-gov' now means ‘efficiency' as well as ‘electronic' and that much infrastructure has been put in place to realise these dual goals,” said Martin Scarfe, National Projects Communications Programme Chair.
“But now the real work begins. Securing the real benefits for staff, citizens and businesses. Many authorities are going through the changes needed to secure the benefits - much of this is ‘traumatic' and ‘sensitive' - but there are more and more examples of real benefits being obtained, either directly or indirectly from using 'e'.”
Comments from local e-gov EXPO briefing attendees included:
- "It doesn't finish here."
- "Why aren't we collaborating more?"
- "The future will be more IT literate and we need to reflect what we do about this.”
- "We are at the beginning of realising the benefits"
Added Scarfe, “The message is clear - we have started to see significant change in how public services are delivered. Councils are already thinking beyond 2005.”
To see slides from Martin Scarfe's presentation to the National Projects local e-gov EXPO 2005 Chief Executives and Members briefing, click here.
To see details of Local Government Minister, Phil Hope's speech to Chief Executives and Members and IEG4 announcement, click here.