Technology
Owning the local message
It’s time to get back to the basics of good communication and make these skills more accessible to local communities, says Cormac Smith. He outlines the core communication disciplines every organisation needs to master.
Open source is the way forward for open democracy
For local councils, open source has the potential to enable innovations and optimise the way they work, says Lora Botev of CitizenLab.
At the right level
As the heart of the UK's knowledge and biotech economies, Oxford urgently needs urban leadership powers to deliver regional growth crucial to national renewal and recovery, writes Jonathan Werran.
Making use of robotic process automation at Medway Council
Patrick Knight outlines how his Medway Council team’s innovative use of digital transformation has migrated six million files, saved thousands of hours, and helped distribute COVID business grants worth £36.5m.
Government should invest wisely to harness ‘robot power’
Steve Carefull examines how we can create the conditions for initiatives such as cobots to be scaled into the mainstream to mitigate the UK’s social care workforce challenge.
Unlocking the potential of data in the public sector
To be truly transformative local authorities’ data strategies need to create a central repository, underpinned by cloud technology, where data can be ingested at speed, says Dan Thompson.
Starting a journey of improvement
Jenny Turnross talks to Ann McGauran about Birmingham Children’s Trust’s progress with improving services for children and young people – and how it has risen to the challenge of the pandemic.
Transformers – how Enterprise Ireland can help with your digital acceleration
Covid has seen local authorities put the pedal to the IT metal, says Laura Brocklebank.
Speeding up the NHS AI journey
Here, Steve Brain, executive director, health & care, Civica presents three tips to start achieving value through AI.
Digitising Walsall MBC’s core business systems
Deborah Hindson explains how, with ‘continued hard work, creativity and resilience’, Walsall MBC is on track to achieve successful delivery of a transformed core business system.
Taking the tea
Diary appreciates it’s not been easy for councillors to get to grips with the new technology involved in holding meetings virtually.
The learning never stops
Drawing on feedback from Solace’s recent development programmes and events, Jessica Mullinger assesses the advantages and disadvantages to both live and virtual settings as we look at different ways of learning due to the pandemic.
How Enterprise Ireland companies help the UK secure the road ahead
Ireland’s innovation agency is helping to improve road usability, quality, access and most importantly safety writes Laura Brocklebank, Enterprise Ireland’s Manchester based UK Local Authorities Lead.
Future-proofing Walsall
Remote working can bring challenges, says Dr Helen Paterson. But Walsall MBC’s Workforce Strategy had already started to build agility and helped it become a council that is digital by design.
Change in a time of uncertainty
Stephen Young outlines how, as COVID-19 gripped the UK, Lancashire CC took the decision to grab a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a whole series of new working practices and customer experiences from scratch.
We’re upping councils’ data game
Social Finance is working with partners to design a sector-led data science apprenticeship programme, starting with children’s services. Celine Gross outlines the aims and the approach.
Hackney cyberattack shows councils must bolster their cybersecurity
Local authorities need to strengthen their cybersecurity posture to deliver high-quality public services and protect sensitive data, says Terry Greer-King.
Stepping up to the challenge of socially distanced teams
With remote working likely to remain for the foreseeable future, what do leaders need to do to ensure their teams continue to function well and develop? Dr Simon Willson looks at ways in which this might be done.
Using online tools to get businesses and citizens back on their feet
Joe Bedingfield looks at how councils are using online tools to serve citizens throughout and beyond COVID-19, and examines some of the digital usage patterns during lockdown.
Digitising the front door to care
A new 'white paper' report by consultancy Agilisys outlines how technology can help lead the rethink of the care sector. Author Steve Morgan talks to Michael Burton of The MJ about some of the solutions.
