Investment in digital directly improves services such as social care,but you wouldnt know it given George Osborne’s focus on central governmentIn a spending review dominated by slashed budgets the announcement of a substantial injection of cash into any area should warrant nothing but cheers. Not however for the £1.8bn the chancellor announced for digital investment in public services, which somehow managed to entirely ignore local government.
Ever since the days of e-Government in the early 2000s, and the crucial role of technology in developing and delivering local services has been widely acknowledged. From services using 3G mobile phone technology to hold carers,cared-for people and local contact centres in touch, to councils using mapping technology to improve waste collection while cutting costs, and there’s no shortage of examples of how and where it has helped [pdf].
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Source: theguardian.com