GPSJ WINTER 2023 2024 LATEST - Flipbook - Page 30
GPSJ
LOCAL AUTHORITY & COUNCIL
Navigating the digital frontier for local
government
Leo Hanna, UK executive vice president, TechnologyOne
capable of effective planning,
budgeting, and forecasting.
Mission: digital
Leo hanna
UK executive vice president
Technology One
Local government is facing
a perfect storm. Funding
pressures and demographic
challenges are getting worse,
councils are having to pursue
modernisation amid economic
volatility, and they are still
recovering from the disruption
caused by Covid-19. For some,
this has been an accelerant to
digital progress. For others, a
blocker.
We partnered with Financial Times
Longitude to survey 500 senior
local government leaders across the
UK to better understand how local
authorities navigate the complexities
of the digital landscape. In addition
to the government leaders, a
survey of 2,000 UK citizens was
conducted to gauge sentiment
on trust and satisfaction with
digital services delivered by local
government.
The resulting report, The new
digital reality (and how not to get left
behind) revealed that to navigate
a path to progress, councils seek
digital pragmatism – balancing value
for money with joined-up services
built on robust infrastructure. But
to truly engage citizens in this
new reality, an innovative digital
experience will prove make or
break.
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The funding trap
One of the report’s key findings
highlights a critical issue facing
local councils: a gap between
digital plans and the ability to fund
them. A staggering 63% of councils
identify this challenge. The Local
Government Association is now
warning that an “existential crisis”
threatens the entire sector as
inflation drives up wages and the
cost of providing many services.
Councils around the country have
warned that they are close to
bankruptcy, and some are now
controlled by central government
because of financial failures.
Unfortunately, this is becoming
a recurring theme for local
government. The report showed
that more than half of local
authorities in England plan to cut
more services while raising council
tax by the maximum possible
amount, suggesting this list will only
get longer in the months and years
to come.
Thirteen years of budget
pressures, more cuts expected,
and rising resident demand for
services amid the cost-of-living
crisis are putting significant pressure
on councils. It’s clearly time for new
thinking and everything should be
on the table. Part of the solution is
digitisation. Ageing IT systems must
be replaced by modern solutions
The report addresses a crucial
aspect of local governance – citizen
satisfaction with digital services.
With only 41% of residents content
with their council’s approach,
our research shows there’s room
for improvement. Unsurprisingly
perhaps, the research shows
that digital channels are key to
enhancing employee productivity
and citizen engagement, to
meet the evolving needs and
expectations of their residents and
employees.
So local government leaders
know they must find ways to do
more with even less. But they are
also aware that there is no room
for error on IT investment. Local
government wants to innovate,
and the challenges of recent years
have accelerated digitalisation. But
ambition must be tempered with
realism: digital solutions have to
come with genuine and measurable
benefits.
Smart and secure
In an era where cyber threats
evolve rapidly, the report exposes
a startling reality: 59% of councils
have an outdated approach
to cybersecurity. Despite the
increasing risk of breaches, many
local governments lag in adopting
robust cybersecurity measures
As we have seen over the
last few years, cyber-attacks on
councils are costly for taxpayers
and pose a threat to democracy.
We believe there is a role for
government to provide funding
to help local authorities invest in
modern IT systems that act as a
first line of defence against cyber
criminals. This includes helping
councils to move away from legacy,
on-premise systems and upgrading
to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
solutions. Systems haphazardly
patched together still deliver
mission-critical services at local
authorities across the country but
they need to be urgently overhauled
if they are to remain secure.
If you ask councils whether they
would prefer to invest in frontline IT
experts or teachers, the answer is
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL WINTER 2023/2024
clear. But the reality is that the cost
of an incident can be catastrophic
and have lasting financial impact
on a local community. As costs
and demand for services rise,
modern software solutions can
help to ease the burden, freeing up
valuable resources when they are
needed most.
In a world where digital
transformation is no longer a
choice but a necessity, local
governments must lead the
charge. The TechnologyOne and
Financial Times Longitude report is
a valuable guide for local authorities
seeking to navigate the digital
frontier successfully. As we stand
at the intersection of technology
and governance, the path forward
requires bold steps and innovative
solutions to create better, smarter,
and more secure communities for
all citizens, ensuring that no one
gets left behind in this new digital
reality.
The findings of the report will be
explored with local government
leaders in a series of events around
the country this February bringing
the stories, insights, and people
behind our New Digital Reality report
life. To register visit The New Digital
Reality Launch Events.
TechnologyOne is a global
Software as a Service (SaaS)
company. Founded in Australia, we
have offices across six countries.
Our enterprise SaaS solution
transforms business and makes
life simple for our customers
by providing powerful, deeply
integrated enterprise software
that is incredibly easy to use.
Over 1,200 leading corporations,
government departments and
statutory authorities are powered by
our software.
Our global SaaS solution
provides deep functionality for the
markets we serve, including local
government and higher education
in the UK. For these markets we
invest significant funds each year
in R&D. We also take complete
responsibility to market, sell,
implement, support and run our
solutions for our customers, which
reduce time, cost and risk.