The Society of IT Management, with a membership from local authorities, the police and fire services and housing authorities, has set out a view of the drivers that are influencing the transformation of local government. From the White Paper ‘Strong and Prosperous Communities’ it highlights the commitment to ‘challenge traditional methods of delivery ‘and to ‘increase the pace of change’. It also stresses the importance of sharing assets and systems, with local authorities and other public bodies working together to overcome administrative boundaries.Although the White Paper has become the principal change driver, Socitm sets out a broader picture of issues that are influencing change. The Cabinet Office’s Transformational Government Strategy presents opportunities for local authorities and public services to achieve a step change in service quality, efficiency and cost savings. The Lyons Report on local government finance is expected to propose radical changes. The Varney Report, which will be part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, will report to the Chancellor with advice on the opportunities for transforming the delivery of public services and will play a significant part in shaping the big picture for local government in the coming years. The work of the Identity Forum in examining the evolving technologies used for identity management and considering how public and private sectors can work together to maximise efficiency and effectiveness is also likely to have a wide impact.
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