E is for Efficiency: Reaping the Benefits of Technology draws out the lessons from three different councils each of which began transformational change programs before the Efficiency Review became a major plank of government policy. The councils featured in the report are:
- Bracknell Forest Borough Council which is using a Web-based portal to support flexible working initiatives for its staff, enabling the council to maximize its utilization of property assets and increase staff productive time.
- East Riding of Yorkshire Council which has provided access for customers via an authenticated login, to personalized, location-based information, the authority's CRM system, and facilities to make payments and track identifiable service requests. The project is helping resolve issues of rural isolation.
- West Lothian Council which has developed new models of care for older people, based on the use of assistive technology, leading to efficiency gains not just in the local authority but also in the NHS.
"Changes focused on meeting the needs of customers and local communities will, as a by-product, lead to efficiency gains in service delivery" she says. "However the Efficiency Review can and should be used as a mechanism to prioritize work and select those projects which will lead to transformation in local services."
The report also says that if properly focused, investment in e-government programs will support business transformation in local public services. The Efficiency Review brings with it many opportunities for local authorities to make better and more effective use of technology by:
- Encouraging the public to use self-service options (e.g. Web site transactions)
- Streamlining corporate and support services by using business process re-design
- supporting new ways of working (e.g. mobile and home working, hot-desking)
- committing to e-procurement practices. E is for Efficiencyis 56 pages in length. It is free to Socitm Insight subscribers, and available for
