Resident satisfaction with councils remains high, LGA report finds
More than two-thirds of people (70%) are very or fairly satisfied with the way their council runs local services, and residents' satisfaction with their councils has remained consistently high over the past two years, a Local Government Association (LGA) report has found. When people were asked whether they trusted councils or government most to make decisions about how services were provided in their local area, 77% said local councils, it found. Objective assessment of council performance across a range of nearly 100 indicators, such as percentage of household waste recycled, provides firm evidence that councils have maintained, and in many cases improved, their performance. When public polling and the performance indicators are taken together, the results provide an insight into levels of local accountability across councils and indicate the success of sector-led improvement initiatives such as the LGA's programme of 'peer challenges', the report says. The polling was conducted by Populus Data Solutions.
Pictured: The report's cover, LGA Sector-led improvement evaluation report
Sector-led improvement evaluation report: www.local.gov.uk/research-performance-and-improvement
Only 15% of councils integrate services with back office, research finds
Only 15% of councils believe most of their digital services are fully integrated with back office processes, according to research commissioned by customer relationship management (CRM) software specialist KANA. One of the main barriers was the concern that digital channels exclude many members of the public, with 69% of respondents to the survey citing this as the main reason for digital not being fully embraced in local authorities. Respondents also expressed concern that many services designed for the call centre are not suitable for public access. More than half (57%) of those questioned believed that the public would require guidance to understand the terminology currently being used. Confusion over language could cause frustration for customers and result in misdirecting enquiries, the report finds. Technically the biggest hurdle for local authorities is the suitability of their services for digital access, the survey finds. Less than half of all authorities questioned (45%) had just a quarter of services fully integrated and only 15% believed that the majority of their online services were linked to back office processes.
KANA: www.kana.com
Socitm asks: Do you do digital?
A briefing for senior local authority managers on the scope, reach and progress of the use of digital technologies to improve local public services has been published by the Society of IT Management (Socitm). The report - which includes a range of 'infographics' designed to make the topic engaging for the non-specialist - presents case studies of best practice, and suggests further reading in each area including Socitm's recent 'Better with Less' and 'Better connected 2014' reports. Topics covered include understanding and adapting to 'Internet culture'; digital services gathering pace in welfare, housing, health and social care services; council website presentation including mobile services; digital engagement including social media; service redesign and new ways of working. The report concludes with a checklist managers can use to pose their authorities the question - Do you do digital?
Do you do digital? www.socitm.net/research/socitm-insight/insight-reports/do-you-do-digital
