Council CIOs to work together

Computing reports on initiatives helping to raise the profile of IT in local government

New Socitm president Richard Steel will work to restore trust in the public sector

The Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm) has created a Local Government CIO Council (LGCC) as part of its relaunch as an association for IT professionals across the public sector.

Fifteen chief information officers (CIOs) from councils in England will meet each quarter to discuss local government transformation and to review the role of local authorities in the broader government agenda.

The LGCC will provide an opportunity for councils to become more involved with decision-making, and Socitm will work to re-establish trust in the public sector, said Richard Steel, new president of Socitm and LGCC member.

“A priority of the LGCC is to be seen as a bridge between local and central government, giving us opportunities for earlier influence on decisions,” he said.

“And Socitm will aim to make links with organisations such as the BCS to provide public sector delivery and branding of professionalism in IT.”

Green IT and shared services will be among the major priorities, as local government comes under even more pressure to provide services with reduced budgets. And prospects for front office shared services (FOSS) are optimistic, provided councils can find out how to execute them well.

“Sharing services will work when it’s done through systems that are designed for that purpose,” said Steel.

“The goal in data sharing should be that it stays in properly secured systems, and that those entitled to access should be able to do so directly and they should be identifiable and authenticated. Meanwhile, secure data transmission is a good, but interim tactic.”

Steve Williams, CIO of Sunderland City Council, said: “If organisations cut their teeth on new services, and if both the politicians and the officers see benefits, then the door will be opened for other sorts of things.”

Jos Creese, chairman of the LGCC and CIO of Hampshire County Council, said: “There are quite a lot of shared services already happening, and this tends to be overlooked.

“The issue is whether these will happen faster and the answer to that is ‘yes’.

“For FOSS to work, business processes and standards must be in alignment, which requires careful discussion.

“Local authorities must deliver significantly better services at significantly lower costs, and this will be a big driver, as we have to meet an increasing level of
demand.”

Socitm plans to extend membership of the LGCC to other public sector organisations.

“Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Transport for London
and a range of organisations could have a part to play,” said Creese.