“Fast broadband is absolutely vital to our economic growth, to delivering public services effectively, and to conducting our everyday lives.”

“But some areas of the UK are missing out, with many rural and hardto-reach communities suffering painfully slow internet connections or no coverage at all. We are not prepared to let some parts of our country get left behind in the digital age.”

How can you source ever more complex voice, data and mobile services and at the same time deliver the cost savings demanded in a time of financial constraint? Tracking the various technologies and pricing tariffs on offer is virtually a full-time job. You may believe there are potential savings to be made but not have the bandwidth to pursue them.

Flexible working is an opportunity to work differently, more effectively and leaner - and to make big savings by adopting a radically different approach. Achieving it across the organisation is a major leadership challenge. In short you need to think in a radically different way about how you work, then do it.

The dramatic growth of mobile working in both public and private sectors reflects the maturing of the technologies that make it possible. Social, legislative and environmental changes, such as the growth in flexible working patterns, pressures on business and government to deliver better services more efficiently, and the increasing use of mobile technologies in private life, also encourage its adoption. The potential for substantial savings on office costs is especially attractive. 

Most councils claim to use flexible and mobile working, but few are achieving all the benefits. Of these, the potential for savings stands out right now, with up to 30% available from reduced accommodation costs alone. But there are other benefits too, including higher staff productivity and satisfaction (more savings), reduced CO2 emissions, and not least, the increased customer contact that mobile working brings. 

The project issues
The Council needed to implement the programme for e-Government in respect of Real-Time Booking and Mobile Working for Priority Outcomes. The provision of ISU monies enabled the Council to free up internal resources by using Socitm Consulting to manage and monitor those projects.