A principle raw material of all public bodies is information and for many this means operating a paper handling factory with a range of manual processes. This feature describes the situation before Argyll and Bute Council installed an electronic workflow management system to create a paperless office and the way it is now. It also outlines the benefits of banishing paper, including a payback on the investment within two years.

Sixteen successful bidders will share 29 million pounds in the first round of funding to provide Extra Care Housing, which allows older people and other vulnerable adults to maintain their independence while being supported round the clock. The announcement of extra funding means 1,420 places will be provided.The scheme provides 24-hour support from social care and health teams to people living in their own private flats or bungalows. 

Local people are to be given a say in how courts are run under new regulations which have been developed after wide consultation on the framework for 42 community-focused Courts Boards in England and Wales.The measures were set out by Courts Minister Chris Leslie with the publication of new regulations and a report called ‘Courts Boards: Constitution and Procedures A Response Paper’ and the publication of the results of a three-month public consultation process. 

The Civil Service summer placement scheme for 2004 is being expanded by some 60% and it will be opened up to disabled graduates. 

The setting up of nine regional centers of procurement excellence will boost implementation of the national procurement strategy launched last Autumn. The strategy seeks to change the tradition of individual purchasing decisions by over 400 separate councils, often buying the same thing. 

By Steven JonesThis article discusses the various initiatives that have been introduced to measure and improve local government performance in the UK over the past decade. It explains why the Local Government Improvement Programme (LGIP) is the most aligned to the modernization and performance improvement agendas. 

By James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. PosnerThe Leadership Challenge is grounded in extensive research and based on interviews with all kinds of leaders at all levels in public and private organizations from around the world. In this third edition, the authors emphasize that the fundamentals of leadership are the same today as they were in the 1980s, and as they’ve probably been for centuries. In that sense, nothing’s new. Leadership is not a fad. 

Patients in three pilot surgeries announce their arrival by touching a pad with their thumb. Using the thumb again in a kiosk inside the surgery they can access their medical records. They can inspect their consultation record, common test results, such as blood count, as well as letters to and from the practice. They can also get access to leaflets and information about conditions at the touch of a button. 

Prime Minister Tony Blair has set out a blue print for a transformed Civil Service capable of serving governments of any colour in the era of globalisation. His vision is an organization that can successfully implement change, rather than, as sometimes in the past, act as a shock absorber seeking to maintain the status quo.Outlining the features of the new culture Tony Blair contrasted the approach of the Civil Service and the Armed Forces in the Foot and Mounth crisis. 

London councils are tackling the problem of under represented ethnic minorities in their finance departments. Ethnic minorities account for 25% of London’s economically active population, but this is not reflected in senior finance posts.