According to research,
the local councils which have delivered digital savings have reduced their
spending by an average of £1 million. In the light of these findings, minister
Brandon Lewis urged all local authorities to take advantage. He said: ”It is
heartening that 6 in 10 councils are already reporting savings from their
digital endeavours. However it is equally troubling that 40% of councils are
yet to drive efficiencies from this opportunity and I would urge these councils
to reach out, learn from the best, and accelerate their digital programmes.
So what holds councils back in adopting digital services?
‘Legacy systems and ICT infrastructure’ (72.7%) and ‘Lack of development funds’
(59.4%) are quoted as barriers to progress digital programmes. Other barriers
included ‘Culturally uncomfortable for the organisation’ (50.6%) and
‘Unwillingness to change/non-cooperation of colleagues’ (49.7%). Legacy systems
topping the list is surprising and it shows the scale of technology
infrastructure and investment over the years that must be integrated with new
digital processes and service delivery.
The report concludes, that there is no denying that digital
services are viewed as an enabler with 80% respondent believing technologies
will make organisations more cost effective. However there are social,
cultural and technological hurdles that are preventing councils to accelerate
channel shift. Strong leadership and need to develop solid business cases as
well as sharing best practice and experience of developing local digital
services is crucial for the change to take place.
Anna Mazur
Marketing Executive
