It’s often been fun, occasionally frustrating, always fulfilling, but this is my final week employed in local government. There are few types of organisation that deliver a similar volume and variety of functions as local government Beyond emptying bins and fixing potholes we see so often in the media, there’s social care (often portrayed as just a NHS function), housing, roads, public transport, education, planning, leisure (including sports centres), culture (including libraries), and very much more. Working part of a digital team in a council it's likely you’ll engage with every department across the organisation during the course of a year, offering real variety whatever role you’re in. The next few years will see a huge change across local government, not only in the 21 English counties invited to go through reorganisation (LGR), but through devolution, and everywhere as a result the continued stretch on public finances and rising public expectations driven by the acceleratin...
Last month I gave evidence to the Science, Innovation, and Technology Committee in Parliament. I haven’t written much about it because you can watch it yourself here. I thank the committee for inviting me to speak, and its members for their insightful questions on how technology has improved service delivery. Since my appearance I’ve been asked a few times what I think was the most thought provoking question or comment the committee made, and it’s perhaps not the one you think it might be, so I’m writing about it here. That comment was from...