"When the floods hit, we really saw how citizens are using technology," explained a local councillor and information security specialist. He described how local residents quickly used Twitter and other social media to share information and mobilise volunteers. For example, people began by sharing photos of the floods, then someone locally linked the photos to Google maps and created an app so that you could quickly see the areas that were worst effected and get updates as the conditions changed.
By contrast, he said, the council looked slow to react. We did a good job on the process issues and connecting with other agencies but the local community group were more adept at communicating and adapting.
This is a simple example of how swiftly the ability to use technology has moved from the control of large organisations to the hands of individuals and small groups. We live in a digital world where governments and public service bodies are having to adapt continuously to these changing circumstances.
We now think of digital as a shorthand way of describing an improved use of technology, resources and information management. The potential benefits for local government of greater technology use and digital information are enormous. They have the potential to reduce costs, increase efficiency and deliver better outcomes. They can also stimulate innovation, enable new ways of working, and help to reshape relationships between citizens, communities and local government.
Unfortunately, there can be a temptation in some councils to see digital as something to simply pass to a head of IT or chief information officer. This is a mistake. As a new report in the Local Government Knowledge Navigator series shows, the digital agenda should be a matter of concern and interest for all leaders.
The report, Local government in the digital age, is designed to engage and help inform a non technical audience. It summarises the potential benefits to be gained from making greater use of technology and the internet, and seeks to define the meaning of digital. It also introduces the concept of becoming inherently digital, where local authorities use technologies judiciously as facilitators of and catalysts for change.
My report explores how changing technology is impacting on local government. This includes explaining what it means to live in a digitally enabled world – one of cloud computing, developments in mobile government, cyber threats, and apps. It also considers from a non technical perspective how local councils can best exploit these changes, through encouraging innovation, big data, social media, mobile and remote working, bring-your-own-device, and digital literacy/digital inclusion. It then takes a forward look at the topics that will most likely be of particular interest to local councils in the immediate future.
The approach adopted, as with other Knowledge Navigator publications, intends to summarise and signpost available research and evidence of good practice. It focuses primarily on up-to-date material, practical advice and sources that lead to further source materials, and recognises that many readers will want to dip into topics as well as reading the whole report.
The Local Government Knowledge Navigator is a two year initiative funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and steered by ESRC, the Local Government Association and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives. It was launched in January 2013 with the aim of helping local government make better use of existing national investment in research and to influence future research agendas, programmes and investment.
The report includes and draws on what are often thought of as grey research resources. These include policy development and thought leadership studies that help to explain what good looks like and how future thinking might develop. The report also recognises that many of the areas that are of interest to local government tend to merge with research and policy developments in central government, healthcare and other parts of the public sector and private sector, in both the UK and overseas. It therefore also seeks to include, where appropriate, relevant research in other sectors and countries.
As the internet celebrates its 25th birthday, this is a pertinent time to take stock of how local government is operating in the digital age and explore how it might better exploit the opportunities offered. It seems likely that some flood-hit councils have already started to rethink how they plan to collect and share information in the future.
John Thornton is author of the report, director of E-ssential Resources and an independent adviser on business transformation, financial management and innovation
