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Journalists that want to contact Socitm should get in touch with vicky.sargent@socitm.gov.uk via email or on 0845 094 5641.
Survey forms for this year’s IT Trends report are now available. Organisations featured in last years report should have already received a copy of the form populated with the last recorded data to make it easier to complete. Others can download the form from the IT Trends page.
Socitm is supporting Innovate 08, a Microsoft initiative that will showcase and develop ground-breaking ideas in local government that may have a technology element. The competition will identify and support teams with innovative approaches to tackling some of the biggest issues facing councils today, including social inclusion, place-shaping, community engagement and environment.
Bookings are now open for Socitm 2008: Serving the instant access society. The annual conference will be held this year at the Celtic Manor, Newport on 12-14 October.
Winners of the SPIN-Socitm 2008 website awards were announced at the SPIN-Socitm conference held at The British Library on 24th April 2008.
Richard Steel, CIO at the London Borough of Newham has been confirmed as President of the Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm). Confirmation of his election took place at the Society’s AGM held at The British Library on 24 April.
Socitm Insight has produced a supplement to Better connected 2008, its annual survey of all local authority websites, that analyses how accessibility can best be assessed and looks in detail at the results of accessibility testing for that report.
Socitm has held the first meeting of the Local Government CIO Council, following an invitation from Government Chief Information Officer John Suffolk (pictured, left) to set up the body to represent the views and interests of local government to the main CIO Council.
The tenth report from Socitm Insight’s annual survey of council websites is available now. As well as revealing the top ranking websites and a wealth of information about council’s progress in this area, Better connected 2008 reviews the last 10 years’ of local authority web development and includes a series of expert predictions about developments we can expect to see in the next 10 years.
The new Local Government Delivery Council will play an important role in joining up central and local transformation initiatives including clearing obstacles to local public services sharing front offices.
The NI 14 indicator, one of 198 new national indicators for local authorities announced as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review and also one of two key progress measures set out in the Service Transformation Agreement, fails to follow advice set out in the Varney report on the role of the web in reducing ‘avoidable contact’ with citizens and businesses.
Following the Revenue & Customs data loss debacle the security of personal information is once again in the spotlight. The latest edition of Socitm’s annual survey, IT Trends 2007, provides some highly topical data and commentary on security issues.
Members will have noted publication on November 9 of the DCLG document containing proposals about how councils will report progress on reducing ‘avoidable contact’. The proposals are now out for consultation until 21 December with responses being invited on the ‘technical descriptions of the national indicators and the method of measuring and reporting on the indicators.’
Members are being invited to participate in the group response being organised by Socitm Insight to the current CoI consultation on website accessibility. The consultation concerns the CoI paper Delivering Inclusive Websites which has created headlines for its proposal that all government websites should meet Level AA of the W3C guidelines by December 2008 – or risk losing their .gov.uk designation.
This year’s Graham Williamson Challenge – a learning through travel award – has been awarded to Shey Cobley, an online communications officer at Oxford City Council. Shey was presented with her Award by Socitm President Rose Crozier at the Society’s annual conference, held in Belfast 14-16 October.
IT managers still hold the key to public service transformation, Sir Michael Bichard told delegates at the Socitm Annual conference in Belfast (14-16 October). In a speech based on findings from research with IT managers and chief executives, he said that development in the profession since his address to the Socitm conference in 2004 was positive across most areas examined and IT managers are increasingly able to engage with those in power.
Socitm Insight has launched a DVD that explains the need for websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. The DVD’s message is targeted at senior decision-makers in the 80-90% of organisations that have websites inaccessible to people with disabilities using adaptive or alternative technologies, as well as those with common visual impairments, reduced mobility or dexterity, dyslexia and other issues.
Senior decision-makers in local authorities are being advised that one of the ways they can respond successfully to pressures to cut costs arising from CSR07 will be to shift a greater proportion of the service delivery burden to websites. The advice comes in Channel management, take-up and efficiency: a 20pp pre-CSR07 briefing for elected members, chief executives and senior managers published by Socitm Insight at the beginning of August.
Socitm’s ninth annual survey of application software used by local authorities is out now and is available to order. Details of software used by 343 local authorities - 78% of the total in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are provided, alongside information for 33 Fire authorities, 28 Police forces and 35 Housing associations.
Socitm has created materials for a new IT security skills initiative, funded by the EU. The materials were validated at a meeting in Greece in early June, and Socitm is now inviting UK organisations to come forward and use the materials to run skills development programmes in this area.
A new report from Socitm Insight demonstrates the potential to convert council service users to the web channel in substantial numbers. Better marketed: achieving success with online services report includes a set of case studies where take up of e-services in areas like planning, parking, housing lettings, recruitment, waste management and schools admissions is in the range 50% - 85%.
Socitm Insight subscribers have given a highly positive report on the service through the latest subscriber satisfaction survey, results of which were published on May 14. The survey, completed by 20% of subscribers, showed that the service was not only highly regarded, but was also continuing to improve.