This programme is now available to view on egovtv.tv, the online television channel for public service modernisation. The programme examines the role of the Preventative Technology Grant, the PASA Framework and the range of telecare services and technologies with which local authorities can start to introduce telecare to support the elderly, the vulnerable and pressured care services.The programme also looks at the wide range of telecare social home care packages that are being successfully implemented in councils around the country. It explores the broad spectrum of benefits that are being realised from improved dignity and independence for service users through to more effective management of commissioned care services.

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This publication from HM Treasury sets out the public service procurement strategy to match the growing challenges of global competition, changing demographics and increasing pressures on the environment. The public sector spends 125 billion pounds annually on procuring a wide range of goods and services, from every day items such as pens and paper, to major construction such as schools and hospitals.’The document sets out the scale, complexity and diversity of public procurement. It offers a clear mandate and challenge to ensure that procurement drives the delivery of public services in a way that matches the high expectations of the public.

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This publication from the New Local Government Network looks at how younger people can be attracted to become officers and members of councils. The issue is particularly important because there is a dearth of young blood in councils and the recent White Paper sets out a challenging role to serve increasingly diverse and complex communities.Some 8% of officers are under 25 and a survey of councillors found that only 62 from almost 20,000 councillors were under the age of 26.

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This programme is now available to view on egovtv.tv, the online television channel for public service modernisation. It describes how public bodies can reduce purchasing costs, increase administrative efficiencies and meet more of the Governments sustainability targets with a new eProcurement Managed Service. Zanzibar, launched by OGCbuying.solutions together with PA Consulting, brings significant improvements in efficiency and greater cost and time savings for the public sector through effective procurement techniques. There is no charge for joining Zanzibar.The managed service provides bulk-buy aggregation and makes available collaborative contracts that allow buyers to transact via a completely electronic procurement process from requisitions to invoices and so cut administrative costs. It also reduces errors and administrative time for transactions as well as providing information to give better management of the spend and long term improvement through sharper strategic direction.

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The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill is expected to receive royal assent in Autumn 2007. It will allow the Secretary of State to invite local authorities to make proposals for establishing unitary authorities in place of two-tier authorities, simplify electoral arrangements by enabling councils to adopt all-out elections every four years and introduce new leadership models from which councils can choose and improve community governance by extending the power of wellbeing to parish councils,The performance workstream is expected to deliver a new set of about 200 indicators to be rolled-out from April 2008 and the full suite from April 2009. A new single performance framework for local government and its partners will be devised and the Audit Commission will become the single local services inspectorate in April 2008.

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This report from the Society of IT Management reveals a fall in local government IT expenditure to 2.7b pounds, which is just below the 2004 level. Growth in staffing also came to an abrupt end with reduction in the number of consultants employed, which accounted for most of the change.IT managers who responded to the SOCTIM survey are ‘fairly positive’ about shared services as a means to deliver efficiency. Sharing staff resources over a region or even wider may offer further large savings, says the report, while doing things once and sharing the solution with the whole of the government sector may offer another good way forward. Partnerships and outsourcing are the other strategies most mentioned by IT managers considering ways of bridging the resource gap.

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This report from the Chief Information Officer describes progress made in 18 months on the six-year improvement journey for public services. It charts developments in the main strands of the strategy which are customer-centric services, shared services and professionalism.A better understanding of the customer is vital to developing customer centric services and the Service Design Authority has created tools and techniques to allow public bodies to use what they know about what really matters to citizens and businesses. A Customer Insight Forum has been set up to help with the gathering , analysis and use of information about the needs and preferences of citizens and businesses.

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This programme is now available to view on egovtv.tv, the online television channel for public service modernisation. It presents a case study demonstrating innovative approaches to citizen involvement in local neighbourhood planning decisions by Burnley Council and Elevate East Lancashire, one of the government’s nine housing market renewal pathfinders. The Case Study focuses on how engaging the general public and stakeholders in planning and re-development is vital to the success of projects, refining plans and providing residents with a sense of ownership.This is the first in a series of programmes which consider the range of new approaches and mechanisms being employed by local and central government to increase citizen engagement, whilst demonstrating the benefits that greater public involvement can bring to planning and public service delivery.

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A survey of councillor views on the White Paper ‘Strong and Prosperous Communities’ by the Municipal Year Book, found that 80% of respondents disagreed with the proposal to vest all executive powers in the mayor or leader. Those in favour of retaining the present arrangements argued that to change in this way would result in too much power for one individual and further reduce the power of back bench councillors. Those supporting the proposal said that that the current leader and cabinet model does not work and the change would give more accountability.The survey also showed that 67% of councillors were not surprised with the content of the White Paper, but 64% felt that important issues had been omitted. Finance was seen as the biggest issue which was not addressed. Other issues omitted were a greater devolution of powers and the voting system, including the use of proportional representation.

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This report from the Society of IT Management explores the experience of dealing with local government by phone from a citizen’s perspective. The research used ‘mystery shopping’ to sample the experience of making
different enquires to councils by phone. The degree of integration between
the telephone and the website channels was also explored.

Read more on BETTER ANSWERED – A SNAPSHOT OF LOCAL AUTHORITY TELEPHONE RESPONSES…