Scottish councils need better digital skills, report finds

Audit Scotland’s Accounts Commission has called on Scottish councils to improve citizen involvement when designing digital services and ensure staff have the right skills to undertake digital transformation projects.

A report from the commission on digital progress in local government found that although councils have made great progress with digital technologies during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, there are still barriers to adoption.

Councils are all at different stages of digital transformation, and the report said the long-term focus should be on how digital technology can improve opportunities and services with citizens at the heart.

“Covid‑19 has increased the focus on service users and the awareness of the risks of digital exclusion,” the report said. “[However] digital progress and success are still mainly measured in terms of efficiencies and cost savings rather than what benefits they can bring to citizens and staff.

“To better understand the needs of citizens, councils should have a citizen and community engagement plan and ensure they have sufficient staff with the skills to carry out service design. Councils need to improve how they monitor outcomes. This could include adopting a benefits realisation approach.”

It added that most councils are focusing their investment on technology and infrastructure, buying and maintaining systems.

Another key issue is that the lack of staff capacity and digital skills is holding back progress, the report said, and called for councils to carry out surveys on digital skills to understand “what skills staff have and where the gaps are”.

There are gaps both in digital leadership, as well as essential skills in the wider workforce, it said, adding: “Councils should develop a competency framework that sets out the digital skills needed across the workforce.”

Most councils also have several legacy systems in place, which remain a barrier to transformation. The report called on councils to come up with a clear plan “to address legacy systems to create better coordinated solutions”, including common platforms.