Councils to access secure Whitehall network
£30m deal will enable restricted documents to be sent electronically for the first time
Local authorities will be able to electronically exchange restricted information with central government in two years thanks to a £30m extension of the secure Whitehall network.
The Government Secure Intranet (GSI) links departments and allows sensitive data to be emailed between officials with sufficient clearance.
But local authorities do not have the email security to receive sensitive documents such as the benefits records for housing benefit claims. Instead, the documents must be sent in the post.
This month’s Government Connect contract between the Department for Communities and Local Government and supplier Cable & Wireless (C&W) will extend the secure communications capacity to the 408 councils in England and Wales.
Work is starting immediately, with the first 200 local authorities expected to go live by the end of next year. The secure network allows agencies to bypass the public internet and includes a directory and authentication system to identify individuals by name and clearance level.
Government Connect is part of wider plans for technology-enabled transformation of public services. But without the basic infrastructure it will not happen, says C&W government director Martin Goodman.
‘Government Connect is a big step in creating the collaborative infrastructure for transformation.’
What do you think? Email us at: [email protected]
Related stories