Member Article

Autumn Statement Reaction: Can Government Achieve Digital Nirvana?

As George Osborne laid out plans to ‘ready for whatever storms lie ahead’, investment in public infrastructure and digitising public services took centre stage. The latter was received with huge applause as a £450 million injection in to Government Digital Services was put forward. This move is vital to the goal of delivering sustainable and affordable public services, and modernising archaic and paper based processes. While the announcement of a fully digitised tax system is promising, it is only the tip of the iceberg of what needs to be done to deliver a smarter digital government. This needs to stretch beyond central government to regional and local requirements. This is an overwhelming task, and far more complex than simply putting everything online. Digitisation does not lock out human interaction completely - in fact conversely it is a necessity for it to succeed, through positive engagement by upskilled staff.

Further investment is needed in the right technology and skills to deliver on the promise of a smarter government. Achieving this digital nirvana will require persistent proactive engagement with the public, promoting the benefits and educating against misconceptions. By effectively monitoring what and how services are used, public sector organisations can continue to adapt and evolve their services to drive greater efficiencies and smarter engagement with citizens.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by David Moody .