West Midlands | Socitm Consulting

Home and mobile working strategy

Client name:

Wyre Forest District Council

Wyre Forest District Council has a fully integrated strategy for rationalising Council office space, supporting home and mobile working and implementing Information Management best practice following a comprehensive review by Socitm Consulting. The Council’s primary consideration is moving to a single site operation, as the savings in real estate running costs will be considerable. With our support, the Council has a strategy that is executable around a single site, but which is adaptive if multiple sites are retained. Its implementation will realise significant efficiency gains for the Council and contribute to more effective delivery of customer services.

Interim Systems Centre Manager

Client name:

Warwickshire County Council

Warwickshire County Council maintained effective management of its Systems Centre through a major departmental restructure thanks to expert interim management support from Socitm Consulting. As a result of our management expertise, the Council was able to maintain continuity in staff management and business processes during a complex transitional period.

Records Management strategy review

Client name:

Warwick District Council

Warwick District Council has a comprehensive basis for ensuring its Records Management strategy is developed and implemented in accordance with best practice thanks to a Socitm Consulting review.

Social Services system replacement and business process re-engineering

Client name:

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

The project issues
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (WMBC) was rated 'poor' in its CPA in 2003, with Social Services being particularly referenced along with some other areas of the Council's work. At the time, the Council was already part way through a procurement process to replace its legacy mainframe-based client index system, seeking to obtain a system which would better serve the needs of practitioners and managers in their day to day work.

Website review

Client name:

Telford and Wrekin Council

Lead consultant:

Andy Grant

Telford and Wrekin Council has improved the design, usability and accessibility of its website with expert assistance from Socitm Consulting. Using our extensive knowledge of best practice in website development, Socitm Consulting offered detailed advice on how the Council could provide a website best able to support the effective delivery of customer services.

Strategic ICT review

Client name:

Tamworth Borough Council

Tamworth Borough Council has successfully embarked on an Organisational Transformation Programme in response to a disappointing assessment of its e-government programme. A key element supporting the Programme is a strategic ICT review undertaken by Socitm Consulting, supported by benchmarking data from the Socitm knowledge base, which identifies priority areas for improvement.

Building Schools for the Future programme support

Client name:

Solihull MBC

The project issues
Solihull had been selected as a Wave 1 authority for the BSF programme. Due to its unique circumstances the authority had decided not to set up a Local Education Partnership (LEP).

This required a different approach to the procurement of the programme and the need to consider how the authority would ensure that ICT was fully integrated with the new school building designs.

Website review and improvement action plan development

Client name:

Redditch Borough Council

The project issues
Redditch BC is located in the county of Worcestershire and has its own website. Redditch also participates within the Worcestershire Hub partnership for the provision of priority services. Currently there is increased access through mediated channels and the website is also encountering much more activity. Redditch wanted a review of the website CMS architecture, content, usability and accessibility issues.

Website accessibility review, preliminary check

Client name:

Lichfield District Council

Lead consultant:

Andy Grant

The project issues
The Council identified the need to improve their website and in particular to ensure that it conformed to accessibility guidelines.

The Socitm Consulting solution
Our role was to carry out a review of the newly revised Council website in respect of the WAI Accessibility guidelines.

Recruitment survey

Client name:

Lichfield District Council

The project issues
Following an unsuccessful recruitment campaign the Council commissioned Socitm Consulting to conduct a telephone survey and recruitment exercise to ascertain whether any existing Local Authority Heads of IT or their subordinates knew of, were interested in or had any comments to make, about the post at Lichfield District Council.

The Council needed to fill the vacant post for a manager of IT Strategy and the E-Government programme or to determine the criteria required to make the post more attractive to potential candidates.