"We are living through a golden age of reinvention. It is not just Government or the Health sectors that are in the frontline, industries including Financial Services, Entertainment, Media and Retail are all undergoing profound change. New organisational structures, new ways of operating and new cultures are all necessities, and all regular headlines in these sectors.
The challenge of transformation for local government is to marshal the same forces that drive change in other sectors, but to apply them to the pursuit of public value. This challenge requires that skills in understanding and anticipating needs are combined with an ability to innovate. Councils need to be able to set aside the old and to introduce the new in a way that is effective and consistent with wider social goals. "

"In December each year Time Magazine names their person of the year as someone who has significantly impacted events of that particular year. Recently, they've named George W. Bush (2000, 2004), Jeffrey Bezos (Founder of Amazon.com) (1991) and Rudolph Giuliani (2001) as their choice, all of whom were notable nominees. Last year, 2006, was different. The Time Magazine Person of the Year for 2006 was YOU. Yes, you. As notable as the others are, you are even more remarkable."

"There is huge pressure on UK local government to reduce costs and deliver first-rate citizen services through the effective and efficient use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The potential of ICT lies at the heart of many local government initiatives and it is having an increasing impact on all aspects of our daily lives. However, for many in local government the decision to adopt innovative ICT is a very difficult challenge. There is the potential of savings and improved citizen services; but there is also the danger of project difficulties or even failure.
The common public perception is that public sector ICT projects at best run late and over-budget. At worst they have to be scrapped before they are completed. This means that ICT is controversial. Citizens do not ordinarily demand innovative ICT from their local councils, as it has no value in itself. They certainly do not want "their council taxes" wasted on technology that does not work. Instead they focus their demands on the general principles of effective, efficient and accessible services. Clearly then local government must steer a careful course to harvest benefits from ICT innovation. "

"This report, 'Designing the Council of the Future' is a collection of challenging ideas and contemporary developments across UK Local Government. The report attempts to paint a vision for local authorities in the year 2020. It seeks to provoke you, to encourage a debate, but without ever assuming that any one individual has a true conception of what this future council might look like. The outlook is muddled and we rely on the views and opinions of many including several already participating in TALK."

Read This Report...