The GOV.UK Notify platform has passed a milestone in being used more than half a billion times since its launch four years ago, according to the Government Digital Service (GDS).
It said the system is now being used by more than 1,200 services across the public sector, and is on track to save taxpayers £175 million over the next five years by reducing the need for people to phone call centres or chase up information.
Notify enables public sector bodies and local authorities to send people important messages, ranging from council tax reminders to details of doctors’ appointments.
Among the organisations making the most use of the system are the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
Minister for the Cabinet Office Oliver Dowden said: “Notify is a great example of how the government is using technology to make people’s lives easier and save money.
“This allows us to invest more in the public’s priorities, with the savings from this initiative alone equivalent to the cost of building eight new secondary schools.”
GDS opened up Notify for use by local government in July of last year, and in January of this year awarded contracts to two companies, Firetext Communications and MMG Mobile Marketing Group, to provide services supporting public authorities in using the platform.
Image from the Cabinet Office, Open Government Licence v3.0
