Transparency: seeing it through

The internet makes it possible to publish information - officially or unofficially - with unprecedented ease and cheapness. At the same time, government at all levels faces a credibility gap which many believe can only be bridged by greater transparency.

The latest Socitm briefing (attached) outlines how councils can benefit from a positive response to transparency. Given the pressures in other areas, the temptation is to respond in a minimal fashion to the requirement to publish online all £500+ financial transactions. Taking the pioneering work done by The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead as its starting point, the briefing explains how councils can use transparency to change corporate culture, by focusing staff attention on obtaining demonstrable value for money. Transparency will also help elected members reach better decisions, promote public understanding of the policy framework that conditions how the council works, and improve customer service by enabling third parties to develop apps based around council data.

Transparency is not - as many believe - totally straightforward from an information and technology viewpoint. Councils with well-organised information assets and first-class information presentation skills will be fine - the rest, perhaps the majority, may struggle. Please reply to this email or call me on 0845 241 2770 if you would like to discuss the challenges your organisation faces in addressing this issue.