• Socitm Spring Seminar will be at Stoneleigh Park, Nr Coventry on 26 April 

Sir David Varney, author of December’s Treasury report Service Transformation: a Better Service for Citizens and Businesses, a Better Deal for Taxpayers, has joined the speaker line up for the Socitm Spring Seminar on April 26, emphasising the event’s underlying theme Connecting customer service and efficiency.

Complementing the Varney exposition of emerging Government policy, Tony Travers, the local government commentator and public service reform expert, will be providing a high level view on the politics of public service improvement that are driving approaches to policy development and implementation.

The customer service and efficiency theme will be picked up with a presentation from Socitm Insight Programme Manager Martin Greenwood on recent findings from the Better connected, Better answered and marketing online services reports, many of which underline the strong links between customer focus, take up of online service, and efficiency.

Illustrating these issues will be a case study from Leicester City Council presented by Jill Craig, the Council’s Service Director – Information, and Steve Scott, Leicester’s Web Manager.  The case study shows how the Council has achieved very high take up of its online recruitment service, leading to substantial efficiencies and major savings on recruitment advertising.

Also included in the day’s programme is a case study on public/private partnership working.  Socitm has described in its 2006 report on partnerships, A Marriage of Convenience how many public/private arrangements announced as partnerships tend to reveal themselves over time as little more than outsourcing arrangements. In their presentation The journey from outsourcing to partnership Andrew Moulton, Corporate Head of ICT at Wokingham DC and David Lewis, Account Director at Digica will describe a relationship that has moved in the opposite direction to become a key plank in the council’s transformation programme.

Delegates from public and private sectors are welcome to attend the Socitm Spring Seminar – the event is not restricted to members.  Session content is non-technical and will be accessible and relevant to any manager concerned with efficiency, customer service and business transformation in local public services. 

The event is supported by an exhibition of relevant products and services, and the Socitm AGM will be held during the lunch break.  This will include elections for the new Socitm President who will deliver the closing address of the day.

The fee for the first delegate is £140 + VAT. Second and subsequent delegates can attend for £95 + VAT.  An early bird booking discount is available until 16 march 2007.

Booking is available online only at http://www.socitm.gov.uk/socitm/Events/Spring+Seminar/Spring+2007/Delegate+booking+form.htm

Further information:

Vicky Sargent or Peter Coates, Socitm Press Office
Tel: 0845 094 5641 email: vicky.sargent@socitm.gov.uk or peter.coates@socitm.gov.uk