Local government IT managers' group Socitm has advised
local authorities not to set up separate programmes to meet the
needs of the Gershon efficiency savings.
The treasury expects local councils to achieve 2.5% efficiency
savings between 2005 and 2008, prompted by 2004’s Gershon report.
This is a cornerstone of New Labour’s spending plans.
Effective transformation through IT will be essential to create
the necessary efficiencies, Socitm says. However, its study of
efficiency gains already made in three councils show “they have
been tackled as strategic programmes of change for the whole
organisation”, said the Socitm report, E is for efficiency –
reaping the benefits of technology.
“They all show that the search for efficiency gains does not
require the setting up of a separate new programme. Rather, changes
focused on meeting the needs of customers and local communities
will lead as a by-product to efficiency gains in service
delivery.”
The Efficiency Review, however, can be used as a mechanism to
select the right projects and prioritise work to achieve this
transformation of local services, the report said.
“The objective is to challenge the way things are done, to
release more resources into the front line and to improve the way
that all local people are served. ICT is a means of achieving this
aim. The investment has been made: it is now time to reap the
benefits.”
Councils are already striving to meet the e-government deadline
to get services online by the end of this year. Socitms’s report
encourages councils to use these programmes to support business
transformation through the councils to deliver greater
efficiency.
The user group advises that councils can encourage the public to
use online self-service options, streamline corporate and support
services by using business process mapping, support new ways of
mobile and tele-working and commit to e-procurement practices.