Resource hub
Championing place-based recovery
Across the UK, local authorities are leading place-based post covid strategic recovery. Socitm drawing on the emerging picture of place-based recovery strategies has identified following four key “what works” strands of place-based recovery…
Socitm’s post-Covid recovery prospectus
In the wake of unprecedented challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, local authorities are leading place-based, strategic recovery. This policy briefing draws on the emerging picture from over 200 local authority recovery and resilience strategies to identify four common “pillars” for place-based recovery. Taking these pillars as a starting point, the briefing takes readers through … Read more
In Our View, issue 25
This issue of Socitm’s membership magazine includes several of those speaking at President’s Week 2021, including Robin Hambleton, emeritus professor of city leadership at the University of the West of England, on how local collaboration could help communities recover from Covid-19; Mike Manson, chief executive of ALGIM in New Zealand; and Kevin White, head of … Read more
2020 Annual Report
The collective strength and adaptability of Socitm’s members is reflected in the activities highlighted in our 2020 Annual Report. In a year like no other, we have experienced continuing membership development and growth, an expanding portfolio of leadership, development and research services, and remarkable financial stability and growth, all supported by an increasing profile and … Read more
Policy corner
Digital trends in local public services
2020 has been a pivotal point in digital development and cultures in the public sector, including a more open attitude towards risk, sharing and collaboration. It has also created a truly exciting possibility – a genuine digital culture in organisations as the basis for purposeful IT investment from 2021 onwards.
Our key policy themes 2021
Socitm is a key influence in shaping and defining the policy underpinning public service delivery. Our voice speaks for members in the digital technology, data and information realm. Our five key policy areas are critical to delivering better outcomes for people in the places that they live and work.
Digital ethics
This Socitm Policy briefing offers insights into understanding the digital ethics agenda, principles, standards, tools and guidance. All of which inform the five-core attributes of ethical practice – Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, Autonomy, Justice and Explicability which the guide outlines in more detail.
Planting the flag – a new local normal
The response of local government to the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of astonishing – focusing on the things that really matter locally, adapting to new, virtual ways of working, engaging communities, adopting a risk and trust-based approach to simplifying processes, enabling residents and businesses to access the services they need, maintaining and even … Read more
International
Our digital jump into the future (LOLA conference report)
Covid-19 has speeded the adoption of digital technologies by several years and many of these changes could be there for the long haul. We are literally jumping into the future. This report of the proceedings from our recent international LOLA Conference features some great examples of the innovations and approaches that councils are taking around … Read more
Leveraging data in cities (MCE)
The world is being transformed by the new technologies changing the business models, lifestyles and the way people work. Digital transformation and a continuous generation of data originate new ideas, new opportunities and new challenges for everyone: government, industrial, citizens, travellers and consumers.In January 2018 Major Cities of Europe organized a workshop to discuss how … Read more
Other
Harnessing artificial intelligence and big data
Authored by Simon George (Executive Director of Finance & Commercial Services, Norfolk County Council), this white paper explores whether harnessing AI and data constitute a new ‘wicked problem’. Simon uses the lens of ten characteristics originally created by design theorists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber to draw attention to the complexities and challenges of addressing … Read more
Cloud computing
This report offers a practical guide for the public sector CIO and other public service business leaders into the realities of cloud challenges and opportunities of today. It lays out the issues and opportunities raised by cloud computing in the public sector and how best they can be tackled, particularly to support more flexible and … Read more
Case study: Enabling government to safely import public data with Threat Removal as a Service (Deep Secure)
From our partners at Deep Secure: Against a backdrop of austerity and ever‑reducing budgets, a government authority has implemented a cloud‑based portal to cost‑effectively and securely import citizen data. Taking their lead from the NCSC (who have a pattern for the safe import of data to enable this type of solution) they chose Deep Secure’s … Read more
Publication
Location intelligence making places smart
Location intelligence offers many exciting opportunities to help deliver improved services in the public sector. But what does this mean in real terms?