Delivering
the electronic service delivery targets
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Targets
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·
100% compliance with
proposed Electronic Service Delivery targets by 2004.
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50% compliance by 2002 (compared to LGA Target of 20%). ·
Development of
integrated service targets to support Life Events in combination with service
partners.
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Baseline |
·
Newham Council is an acknowledged leader in the development of
customer-focussed services using Information and Communications
Technology. It already has a
Corporate Call Centre and 4 Local Service Centres (One-Stop Shops) fully
supported by a corporate Customer Relationship Management System and Data
Warehouse. We will undertake a detailed base study of services currently
delivered, or supported electronically, to be completed by the end of the
first quarter 2001. This will allow
us to review our targets and potentially advance them further ahead of those
already published. ·
A key objective of the ICT Strategy will be integration with partner
providers. Already, we are working
with Hackney Council to assist it with the development of “Seamless Service
in Hackney”, and we provide our renowned Customer Relationship Management
product development to other Councils free of charge. We will work with
partners to jointly develop targets for Electronic Service Delivery providing
integrated services wherever possible.
This will simplify the task of interacting with government and other
agencies, both central and local, for the public. |
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Performance improvement without PSA |
·
The Council’s ICT Strategy recognises that the current rate of
progress in Electronic Service Delivery can only be maintained by achieving
joined-up service development both within the council and with its partners.
The PSA will enable the Council to act strategically as a Pathfinder in the
development of Electronic Service Delivery to support and promote Electronic
Government to others. ·
Continued experience in customer systems will enable genuine ESD (use
of internet, Digital TV, WAP phones etc.) not just electronic support of service delivery, resulting
in increased customer satisfaction (measured by the Annual Residents Survey)
and unit cost reductions. |
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Inhibitors |
1. Current regulations and working practices between
different local and central government organisations prevent or inhibit the
development of joined-up services. For example, the Registrar of Births,
Marriages & Deaths is currently not able to share information
electronically with Council Services.
This results in misinformation, errors and duplication.
2.
Authentication and sharing of data will enable information provided
about a death to automatically trigger events in related services e.g.
benefits or electoral registration. 3.
Citizen focussed services require a multi-agency approach, with a
single customer point of contact. Inter-agency working is inhibited by agency
security protocols that prevent interconnection of ICT networks. This would mean that a single customer
access point might require a number of different terminal devices or networks
to access different services. Assist
in the development of common standards and authentication to enable data
sharing (Government Interoperability Framework – GIF). 4.
Lack of flexibility in the rules, which limits local authority participation
in private companies involved in Electronic Service Delivery and
collaborative ventures, particularly involving services to other local
authorities. |
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Incentives |
1.
Enable electronic sharing of information between all Council Services
and partner agencies to reduce complexity and duplication. 2.
Certification of Newham Council proposals for the security and
authentication of all data on the Council network infrastructure. This will ensure that information has to
be reported once only and shared between agencies operating within Newham. 3.
Fast-track consideration and implementation of specific application
for exemptions from Local Government legislation that inhibits Newham
Council’s ability to participate in Joint Venture companies that support ESD
development and delivery. |
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Description
of how removal of inhibitors and incentives will contribute to stretching the
target |
1.
We will develop new inter-organisational data registrations (for
named purposes, only) which may be used as exemplars for other authorities. 2.
Electronic sharing of information will enable more proactive service
development. For example, the registration of a death could trigger the
cancellation of Council Tax Bills and/or Benefit payments, changes to
Electoral Registration (hence avoiding provision of Poll Cards to the
deceased which causes considerable distress to relatives), notification to
other service providers, reallocation of vacated property etc. 3.
Access to other agency information, such as Income Support status in
support of benefit claims, could enable immediate processing of claims and
higher standards of audit. Through the sharing of network infrastructure,
costs are reduced, service efficiency and flexibility is improved. 4.
Development of community infrastructure and skills to access ICT and
exploit Electronic Service Delivery as a positive means of social
inclusion. This will create ‘citizens
of the future’ empowered to access services reducing dependence on support
programmes. |
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Added
value/stretched target with PSA |
·
Broader Data Registration purposes will enable links between all
service stakeholders to be established to enable joined-up delivery around
specific requirements. ·
A borough-wide authentication framework will be implemented to
support service interactivity whilst at the same time combating fraud. ·
Improved service integration and Multi-agency service development to
support Citizen Life Episodes, and remote service access, including directly
from citizen’s homes. This will
enable higher levels of satisfaction, simpler and faster processing, reduced
costs and higher levels of audit control.
·
The PSA will achieve more than electronically supported services but
genuine electronic service delivery.
The experiences developed in Newham will be capable of sharing with
other local authorities, through collaborations or working with the private
sector to provide common solutions. ·
Newham can be considered as a “Test-Bed” for Electronic Service
Development in the UK. In this connection, we will work closely with the PIU
(Performance and Innovation Unit). |