Being Really Useful

Last Tuesday I took part in a Really Useful Day in Newbury. The event was the biggest Really Useful Day so far, and saw over 50 people from more than 25 councils attend.

The days are organised by Local DirectGov, a service run by Department for Communities and Local Government. This was the second LocalGov Digital / Local DirectGov collaboration, the first being part of Create/Innovate in Devon, though in truth all the credit goes to Louise and Abby from Local DirectGov for organising the day.

We heard how Adur and Worthing Councils and Brighton and Hove Council created new websites and from myself on "Connecting Councils", how council officers can collaborate and share using digital media.

I know I promote a digital agenda, but there's sometimes no substitute for face-to-face collaboration and what marks a Really Useful Day apart from many events is the level of practical participation. People are encouraged to think and solve problems together, rather than just being talked at.

Next year we'll be running four more collaborations at venues around the country to help digital practitioners in Local Government. Until then take a look at the Local DirectGov calendar to see if there's anything really useful happening near you.

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