PublicTechnology.net

The Scottish government will implement a “tough” assurance process for digital projects, mandate the use of common technologies and offer training to make sure civil servants “get digital”.

Survey shows lack of preparedness as data protection watchdog slaps £60,000 fine on Norfolk County Council

Councils should be in the “driving seat” of technological change, but need to rethink the role they play in their locality and invest in long-term planning, a report has said.

Aingaran Pillai, CEO and founder of open source software company Zaizi, says that governments need to make bold decisions on digital - but make sure they're executed properly. He offers his top five tips for digital staff here.

Figures released to parliament confirm departments’ spending on paper is falling - but some still spend more than £2m a year

Public sector organisations have been told they still have to meet the common Public Sector Network assurance standards while work is carried out to move away from the network.

Lords Economics Affairs Committee says estimates of savings ‘little more than guesswork’

The government needs to distribute digital expertise to procurement teams across Whitehall if it is to succeed in efforts to increase innovation in public services, a conference has heard.

After a tumultuous first six months as director general of the Government Digital Service, Kevin Cunnington has finally got the long-awaited Transformation Strategy off his desk and is looking forward to an office move. He tells Rebecca Hill about Whitehall “self-help groups”, reforms to spend controls and cold water swimming.

The Ministry of Justice has become the latest department to transfer its employee data onto the government’s shared back-office IT system.

The government is developing a dynamic mapping tool to help civil servants access information on transformation programmes, in a bid to cut out wasted effort and make sure projects are properly resourced. 

Governments need to use data analytics and social platforms to recruit digital talent, a report has said.

Whitehall urgently needs to improve the way it uses existing evidence in policymaking and make better use of digital records to keep track of what is already known, so civil servants do not reinvent the wheel, a report has said.

The Government Digital Service is planning to review around 30% of departments' digital projects based on "continuous interactions" with tech teams rather than set spending limits.

The London Borough of Hounslow is one of two London councils to sign new long-term deals with Liberata.

Accenture “underestimated the complexity” of the project to build a national IT system for Police Scotland, with the decision to use a waterfall approach being a major reason for its failure, a report has said.

DfE IT leader Dave Rutt has called on digital teams to let users test their tech – and raised concerns that tax reforms are driving contractors out of the public sector.

Tech companies have welcomed the focus on innovation and IT skills in yesterday’s Spring Budget, but called for the government to follow up its ambition with targeted actions.

The government is to invest £16m in a research hub as it announces the creation of a National 5G Innovation Network to act as a testbed for new technologies.

Police forces across the UK are struggling to cope with technologically advanced crimes and are failing to exploit digital investigative techniques, a report has said.

Luton Borough Council chose to renew its IT contract rather than go with a new provider. The council’s technology lead tells Gill Hitchcock how it shifted to an outcomes-based approach – and why a flexible 10-year contract can still be a good deal.