In town halls across the land, local and regional leaders are grappling with a conundrum. Few of them doubt the power of a digital transformation to make council services more accessible and cost-efficient, but several limiting factors are combining to hinder progress. Amit Shanker is an expert in data analytics who has worked for blue-chip firms including Microsoft, HSBC and real-estate giant JLL. In January, he joined the London Borough of Newham as deputy CEO and chief digital officer, having led a business transformation project at the Financial Conduct Authority. He points out that local authorities have a long list of stakeholders to keep happy, from their employees and the communities they serve to central government and the media. They must also satisfy a whole set of legal and procedural requirements. Businesses, meanwhile, can usually focus their efforts on satisfying customers and shareholders. “Statutory obligations mandate that a public body continues to discharge its services even while redesigning these as part of a digital transformation,” Shanker points out. “With councils under increased fiscal pressure after central funding reductions, they’re being expected to do more with less. Value for money must be demonstrated.” A key factor that’s frustrating councils’ transformation […]
What’s holding back the digital transformation of local authorities?
You may also like...
