Digital Progress In Local Government - Audit Scotland
Digital progress inlocal governmentPrepared by Audit ScotlandJanuaryMay 20212019
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeKey messages and recommendations1. Progress and impact of Covid‑192. Becoming a digital councilCouncils are at different stages of digital transformation.Progress is strongest where councils have focused on howdigital technology can deliver better outcomes for people.The pace of change has increased as digital technologieshave played a vital role in the public sector’s response to theCovid‑19 pandemic. It has also heightened the awareness ofdigital exclusion.Clear vision and leadership, with workforce and communityengagement, are essential for realising the benefits ofdigital transformation. Delivering change requires a cultureof collaboration and innovation, as well as aligned strategiesand plans, effective governance, and engaged and informedelected members.Recommendations:Councils should have a clear digital vision and strategy that sets outhow digital transformation will deliver better outcomes for people. Thestrategy should be supported by plans detailing actions, timescales andthe required investment in technology, people and skills.To maintain momentum, councils should assess their progress, learnlessons, and identify and address barriers and inequalities.Recommendations:Councils should have a structured approach to collaboration andinnovation, with staff given space and time to learn, test new ideas andput them into practice. Councils should actively collaborate through theDigital Office and other regional partnerships.Digital progress in local government 2
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeKey messages and recommendations3. Citizens at the heartThere has been a lack of citizen involvement in digital servicedesign and not enough focus on outcomes in monitoringprogress of digital programmes.Recommendations:To better understand the needs of citizens, councils should havea citizen and community engagement plan and ensure they havesufficient staff with the skills to carry out service design.Councils need to improve how they monitor outcomes. This couldinclude adopting a benefits realisation approach.Digital progress in local government4. Workforce and skillsInsufficient staff capacity and digital skills are the mostsignificant barriers to progress. There are digital skillsinitiatives in place, but there needs to be better alignmentwith councils’ wider workforce plans.Recommendations:Councils should conduct a staff skills survey to better understandwhat digital and data skills they need. Councils should have detailedworkforce and skills development plans, including for leadership teamsand elected members, that align with digital transformation plans. 3
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeKey messages and recommendations5. Data and technology6. National leadership and collaborationCouncils are starting to develop strategies to make better useof data. Data standards, governance and ethics are importantareas in which councils need to make progress. Legacysystems, however, remain a barrier.There needs to be greater leadership and clarity of roles at anational level, with consistent vision and direction across thesector. The Digital Office has enabled councils to collaborate,share knowledge and innovate. Opportunities exist for it todo more but this requires changes to how it works, howcouncils support it and how it is funded.Recommendations:Councils should understand their technology infrastructure and havea clear plan to address legacy systems to create better coordinatedsolutions. This could include common platforms and shared procurement.Councils should work with the Digital Office and Scottish Governmentin developing common data standards and a data ethics approach.Recommendations:The refresh of the digital strategy for Scotland provides an opportunityfor all organisations which support the delivery of digital transformationin local government to set the vision and agree shared priorities. Theseorganisations, including the Digital Office, the Improvement Service andcouncils, should: agree on and clearly articulate their roles and responsibilities i dentify where a shared approach would add value to developingand delivering common systems and platforms, and specialist skills r eview the funding and delivery model for the Digital Office,to ensure it has the capacity and support to deliver on theagreed priorities s treamline a work programme for the Digital Office, with eachpart of the programme having senior-level sponsorship.Digital progress in local government 4
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeContextDigital technologies are an essential part of our lives. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the way we lived and worked, andhow organisations operated, delivered public services and interacted with citizens was rapidly changing. Since March 2020,the pace of that change has accelerated. Organisations have had to innovate and collaborate on a scale never seen before.Digital technology has become a lifeline, allowing the continued delivery of public services, often to the most vulnerable insociety. Its use has also exposed the risk of digital exclusion – not having the skills or resources to access vital public services,maintain learning, and stay connected with others.Councils are at different stages in their digital progressTransforming public services and building a digital council is difficultand takes time. Becoming a digital council involves moving away fromtechnology-led strategies and plans to become more outward looking,focusing on how digital technology can deliver better outcomes for citizens,communities and council staff. It involves understanding the needs of staffand service users, involving them in the process and creating a culture thatembraces change and collaboration.Each council has started from a different position depending on its availableresources (money and people), the state of its existing systems and itsculture. These factors will determine the level of future investment requiredand how quickly a council can transform. The level of investment will varygreatly across councils as a result. To become a digital council, investmentwill be required in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)infrastructure (hardware, software and cloud services), council staff anddigital leadership.Digital progress in local governmentThose further ahead are beginning to exploit data and information to betterunderstand their communities and staff, and deliver better services. Thistransformation is still at an early stage, but progress is being made.Common priorities across councils include: increasing online service provision, with round-the-clock self-serviceaccess increasing flexible and mobile working, allowing staff to access realtime data for services such as social care, housing repairs and wastemanagement using technology to support democratic functions such as hostingcommittee meetings and surgeries online.The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a catalyst for all of this and hasaccelerated the deployment of digital technology and collaboration acrossthe sector. The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of digitalaccess and connectivity, and we expect that these will be a key focus ofcouncils’ future digital plans and strategies. 5
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCouncils operate in a complex environmentCouncils operate in a complex and challenging environment. Our localgovernment overview reports have highlighted the importance ofcollaborative working in making the best use of resources. Councilswork with, and are influenced by, a range of public, third sector andprivate sector organisations and partnerships.In 2015, the Scottish Local Government Digital Partnership (DigitalPartnership) was established by SOLACE and the Local GovernmentTransformation Board to drive the ambition for all councils to be digitalbusinesses by 2020. It is a collaboration between all local governmentorganisations involved in digital transformation, including all 32 councilsin Scotland.In October 2016 the Digital Partnership established the Digital Officefor Scottish Local Government (Digital Office). It supports councilsto become digital businesses through delivery of a work programmefocused on Digital Leadership, Digital Foundations and Digital Services.It has a small core team that provides support and digital expertise.The Digital Partnership and Digital Office are supported by a DigitalPartnership Board which oversees the overall strategy and workprogramme. The Digital Partnership Board’s membership includes keyorganisations involved in digital transformation in local government.The Scottish Government, together with COSLA, the Digital Office andthe Improvement Service, is currently working on a refreshed digitalstrategy for Scotland. This will provide an overarching framework,priorities and principles that will shape subsequent sector-specific plans.The strategy is expected to be published in Spring 2021.Digital progress in local governmentCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeOther organisations involved in digitaltransformation in local government andmembers of the Digital Partnership Board include: Scottish Government COSLA Improvement Service – The national improvementorganisation for local government in Scotland. It delivers arange of products and services to help councils with digitaltransformation. Scotland Excel – The centre of procurement expertise forlocal government. It is working with the Digital Office todevelop a common approach to procurement and commondigital solutions. Socitm Scotland – The leading network for ICT and digitalprofessionals from across Scotland’s public sector. SEEMiS – Scottish local government’s Education ManagementInformation System provider. It is used by all of Scotland’scouncil-run schools for education administration and processesand manages all education-related data. 6
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeAbout this reportThis report: sets out the key characteristics ofa digital council looks at how well councils areputting in place the building blocksrequired for digital transformation examines what opportunitiesexist and what barriers toprogress there are provides examples thatdemonstrate how some councilsare transforming examines how councils haveused digital technology to respondto the Covid‑19 pandemic andwhat can be learned from this.The findings in this report are basedon case study work carried out at sixcouncils. This was complemented bywider-reaching work looking at the rolethat key national stakeholders play insupporting councils to transform.Digital progress in local governmentLinksExamplesInfo boxBarrierWeb linkPDF downloadDigital ehubTo help councils improve, we have developed a set of resourcesfor councils and elected members on our digital ehub.These resources include:Good practice guide that highlights things leadership teams,senior officers and elected members should consider puttingin place to help them progress.Checklist with questions for elected members, to help themscrutinise and challenge digital progress in their council.Examples and case studies of digital transformation.Previous reportsThis report follows on from our previous reports:Principles for adigital futureMay 2017Enabling digitalgovernmentJune 2019These highlighted the importance of strategic leadership, culture, skills,collaboration, innovation and involving users in the design of services indelivering digital transformation.This report draws on these themes and examines what progress councilsare making towards becoming digital councils. It aims to help councilsimprove by highlighting what becoming a digital council involves. It is aimedprincipally at senior management within councils and elected members. 7
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledKey characteristics of a digital councilA digital council is focused on delivering better outcomes for its citizens through the bestuse of people and digital technology. Having the right skills and culture in place is critical andunderpins each of these characteristics:InnovativeEach characteristiccan be navigated toby the tabs at thetop of the CollaborativeTechnology &data enabledInnovativeCommunicates aclear digital visionand ambition andcreates an innovativeand collaborativeculture that driveschange. Understandsthe potential ofpeople and digitaltechnologies totransform servicesfor citizens.Understands theneeds of citizens,communities andstaff affectedby services andpolicies, and involvesthem in servicedesign. Focuses onimproving outcomesfor citizens andother users.Has the skills,knowledge andconfidence todevelop newways of working,including usingnew technology.Develops new waysof working together,sharing goodpractice and ideasacross services andbetween councilsand sectors, andinvolves citizensand communities.Makes best use ofdigital technologyto build commonsolutions, that can bereused and shared tocreate better valuefor money. Uses andshares data securelyto inform decisionmaking, enable jointservices and achievebetter outcomesfor citizens.Has a culture ofopenness andimprovement,looks outwardsand explores howservices can bedelivered differently.Has the capacity,capability andprocesses in place toimplement change.Digital progress in local government 8
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeDigital leadershipCommunicates a clear digital vision and ambition and creates an innovative and collaborative culturethat drives change. Understands the potential of people and digital technologies to transform servicesfor citizens.Councils that are making progress have a digital vision and strategyfocused on improving outcomes for citizens Councils that are making progress have visions for digitaltransformation that go beyond technology to focus on peopleand outcomes. Their strategies are more outward looking andare linked to wider corporate priorities. Plans detailing how and when visions will be achieved are lesswell developed. Audit Scotland’s Planning for Outcomes paper outlines howan outcomes-based approach could work in practise acrossthe public sector in Scotland.Planning for OutcomesGlasgow City Council’s digital strategy has two majorthemes: digital economy and digital public services.The strategy is linked to its wider ambitions for the localarea and contains an extensive action plan, with detailedgoals and outcomes to support the council in achieving itsvision of Glasgow becoming:‘A world-class city with a thriving digital economy andcommunity, where everyone can flourish and benefit from thebest digital connectivity and skills, where technology is used toimprove everyone’s quality of life, drive businesses’ innovationand service design and improve our city, its neighbourhoods andits success.’ (Digital Glasgow Strategy)North Lanarkshire council manager: ‘We can’t look at being adigital council without thinking about wider communities.’June 2019Digital progress in local government 9
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeDigital strategies are most effective when leaders champion changeand staff are engaged Councils that have made progress with digital plans have achief executive and elected members who have made digitaltransformation a priority and champion its benefits. Councils with a good level of buy-in from staff haveleadership teams that have created a culture of sustained staffengagement and support. The leadership teams articulatewhat the vision means and how it will be achieved. Leadership teams can play a key role in creating acollaborative culture and mindset across an organisation. There are examples of good staff engagement, but manycouncils are at an early stage of implementing their strategiesand this engagement needs to be sustained.North Lanarkshire Council found that having acorporate communications strategy was critical toits success in sharing digital goals. The approachfocused on engaging with key groups including staff,residents, businesses and elected members through multiplechannels. The chief executive and senior leadership team havetaken responsibility for engaging the workforce in delivering digitalchange across the council. They have communicated with staffdirectly about digital transformation through digital roadshows, liveand online Q&A sessions and a digital transformation newsletter.BarriersServices (and sectors) often work in silos and there is littlecollaboration between them. This can be a barrier to creating anorganisation-wide digital culture.Digital progress in local government 10
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeLeadership teams must have the right level of digital awareness,expertise and skills Leadership teams with an understanding of the opportunitiesand risks that digital technology presents can better prioritise,develop plans and scrutinise progress. Councils should ensure that digital leadership skills are inplace. Initiatives such as the Scottish Government’s DigitalChampions programme are helping councils developthese skills.The Scottish Government launched its DigitalChampions programme in October 2013, primarilyto develop the digital skills and awareness of publicsector leaders. It provides the opportunity to learn about innovation,technology and how to deliver digital programmes. However, italso provides opportunities to collaborate by creating a network ofleaders with a common interest in delivering better public services.BarriersA lack of the skills and resources required to drive thedevelopment and implementation of plans and set prioritiesis a key barrier. People with the necessary digital expertise needto be involved in strategic decisions.Digital progress in local government 11
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeInvolvement of elected members is not well developed Few councils have a dedicated council committee with a remitfor digital transformation or nominated elected membersinvolved in championing digital transformation. A lack of digital skills and knowledge among elected membersprevents more thorough scrutiny of digital programmes. There is some evidence of councils providing digital skillstraining and support for elected members but appetite andparticipation is varied.Glasgow City Council has a dedicated elected memberDigital Champion and the digital programme boardincludes both council officers who have an in-depthknowledge of digital transformation and methods andelected members.Two-thirds of elected members who responded to a DigitalOffice survey expressed a desire to better understand howto design services to meet citizens’ needs and what types ofdigital skills are needed now and in the future. The Digital Office hasworked with the Improvement Service to develop training for electedmembers on digital leadership and skills. A workshop in January 2020was attended by 22 elected members from 14 councils.BarriersLow levels of digital literacy, risk aversion and concernsabout digital exclusion among elected members can bebarriers to progress.Digital progress in local government 12
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeCouncils have adjusted governance arrangements to ensure the rightlevel of scrutiny for digital programmes Councils making progress have adapted arrangementsto ensure timely and effective scrutiny. Some councils have found it difficult to put the rightgovernance structures in place to achieve a good balancebetween operational decision-making and strategic oversight. There is no one-size-fits-all structure or approach,but effective arrangements tend to include more centralisedassurance, including:North Lanarkshire Council has a dedicatedcommittee with a remit for digital transformation.It has 25 elected members on it, whose role it is toscrutinise the delivery of the digital programme,Digital NL. The council also has a digital deliveryboard that provides overall strategic control for the programmeand a corporate working group that ensures any new products ortechnologies align with Digital NL aims and reuse existing solutionsor integrate with the council’s digital platform.a committee with a remit to scrutinise digitalprogrammesa digital delivery/programme board with overallstrategic controlan operational board or corporate groups to monitordelivery of specific digital programmes, which may beat service level or have cross-council membership.Digital progress in local government 13
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeInvestment to date has been largely focused on technology andinfrastructure While most councils have some form of investment programmefor digital transformation, the scale of financial investmentvaries. It is important that medium-term investment plans alignwith wider transformation aims. Investment to date has been focused on buying andmaintaining infrastructure and systems. Councils are beginningto invest in new and different infrastructure to enablecollaboration and transformation but also need to invest inpeople and skills to get the best use out of the technology. Councils need to continue to invest in addressing the risks oflegacy systems. Councils are moving to cloud-based solutions recognising thepotential to reduce the maintenance burden and to provide aflexible resource that responds to demand. While this reducescapital spending, it shifts spending to revenue budgets whichare often already stretched.Cloud: delivering computing services such as software, datastorage and servers over the internet.Technical architecture: the strategic choices of hardware, software,and networks that support the operation of an organisation.Digital progress in local governmentFife Council has prioritised investment in ICTinfrastructure and enabling technologies that will supportservice transformations. This is allowing the council tocreate better value for money through reuse of commonsystems and address the limitations of legacy systems. The councilhas clear investment plans for these projects and is now looking athow to invest in people and skills.BarriersCouncils still have a large number of legacy systems and willneed to continue to invest in their technical architecture aswell as people and skills. Legacy systems create risks for councils inthe need for staff resources to maintain them. They can also presentsecurity risks, can lack interoperability with the latest systems andsoftware, and can experience hardware failures.Councils have expressed frustration with traditional procurementprocesses with suppliers, suggesting that they hamper innovationand would benefit from a more collaborative approach. 14
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeCovid‑19 has helped develop digital leadership and moveddigital transformation up councils’ agendasAccelerated digital plansThe Covid‑19 pandemic has accelerated digital plans by up to two to three years, with therapid deployment of digital technology and new digital services.Recognition of the potential of digital technologiesLeadership teams now show greater recognition of the potential of digital technologiesto enable councils to deliver services differently and respond to the needs of citizensand communities.Review digital plans and strategiesCouncils are starting to review their digital plans and strategies. During the pandemic recoveryphase, it will be important for councils to reassess plans and gain an understanding of whatfactors have enabled the rapid pace of change. For example, Clackmannanshire Council isappointing an additional strategic director with responsibility for transformation and recovery.Adapting to virtual toolsElected members have adapted well to using video-conferencing tools to hold virtualsurgeries and attend virtual council meetings.Digital progress in local government 15
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeUser focusedUnderstands the needs of citizens, communities and staff affected by services and policies, andinvolves them in service design. Focuses on improving outcomes for citizens and other users.Involving users in service design is still limited in practice Digital strategies are starting to focus on how digitaltechnology can help deliver better outcomes for citizensand communities. User research and service design methods are not yet wellestablished in councils and the Scottish Approach to ServiceDesign is not widely understood. There are good examples of front-line workers being involvedin service design, but the involvement of citizens andcommunities is limited in practice. All users are not the same, different methods should be usedand considerations made when involving citizens from wheninvolving staff.Perth and Kinross Council formed a multi-disciplinaryteam in the transformation of its homecare andrecovery service and adoption of digital technology toassist mobile working. An experienced member of theservice was seconded to lead the project team, providing moreeffective sharing of expert knowledge. Front-line staff contributedat key stages to ensure new ways of working matched staff andcitizens’ needs.The Centre for Civic Innovation in Glasgow carries out servicedesign work as part of its innovation approach. Glasgow CityCouncil is working with the centre to increase the skills of its digitalteam in service design so that this can be used more widely intransformation projects.Service design: service design approaches involve developersworking with the users of services or systems to define theproblems before thinking about and designing solutions.BarriersUser research: building an understanding of the needs and desires ofusers of a service or system through observation techniques, analysisand feedback.Councils have neither the tools nor sufficient staff with theskills required to carry out user research and involve users inservice design.Digital progress in local government 16
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeCouncils need to improve how they monitor outcomes from digital change Digital progress and success are still mainly measured interms of efficiencies and cost savings rather than whatbenefits they can bring to citizens and staff. Councils need to develop a benefits-realisation approach thatincludes financial and non-financial benefits for staff, citizensand communities.Digital progress in local governmentPerth and Kinross Council has developed a benefitsrealisation framework to identify and capturefinancial and non-financial benefits from digitaltransformation projects. The framework identifiesexamples of non-financial benefits, such as improved staffsatisfaction or work/life balance, improved customer satisfaction,and improved management information and data quality to betterinform decisions. The framework recognises that these things aredifficult to measure but highlights the importance of consideringtheir impacts. 17
Digital leadershipUser focusedDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeCouncils are adopting a ‘digital first’ approach but must ensure thatno one is left behind Councils are moving services online to deliver a moreresponsive customer experience that offers round-the-clockaccess, self-service and keeps citizens up to date. To address digital exclusion, councils are retaining traditionalcontact channels, providing assisted digital services andmoving services to community hubs to provide access. Councils need to understand the needs of those experiencingdigital exclusion and put a strategy in place to ensure equityin customer experiences and access to services for all citizensand communities.Clackmannanshire Council has developed a newcitizen portal to improve customer experience andtransform the way customers report, book and applyand pay for services online. This is a key project withinthe council’s Digital Strategy and plans.The Improvement Service has worked with councils to putin place MyAccount. MyAccount provides citizens with a singlesign-in account to access council services. It can be integrated withmultiple council systems, provides security and authentication, andis currently used by 24 councils, with more coming on board.BarriersDigital exclusion is a significant issue. There are still citizensand communities that do not have access to an affordableor reliable internet connection, an appropriate device,or the skills to effectively engage with digital public services.Audit Scotland has reported on connectivity in the Superfastbroadband for Scotland report.Redesigning services and moving them online requires staffresources, which are in short supply in councils.Digital progress in local government 18
User focusedDigital leadershipDigital workforceCollaborativeTechnology & data enabledInnovativeCovid‑19 has increased the focus on service users andthe awareness of the risks of digital exclusionNew solutionsCouncils have moved more services online and quickly developednew solutions to meet new needs. This includes equipping staff forhomeworking, providing everyday essentials including food andmedical supplies for those required to ‘shield’, and supporting schoolpupils
In October 2016 the Digital Partnership established the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government (Digital Office). It supports councils to become digital businesses through delivery of a work programme focused on Digital Leadership, Digital Foundations and Digital Services. It has a small core team that provides support and digital expertise.
Many hard working local government employees in local government have already lost their jobs because of the coalition government's cuts to local authority funding. With more cuts on the horizon, local government workers face more privatisation, pay freezes and redundancies. UNISON opposes more job cuts in local government: making .
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