The Government's Transformation Strategy, unveiled in the Autumn of 2005, signalled a change from 'e-government' - with its simplistic emphasis on getting services online - to the more mature 't-government' approach that recognises the need not just to 'connect' citizens, but to rethink everything from their point of view. 

Socitm welcomed the Transformation Strategy and has been working hard ever since to ensure local government's involvement in the development and delivery of that Strategy. This has sometimes involved challenging Whitehall views about what local communities really want and need from transformation, and how this should best be delivered.

These pages provide information and signposting on local government transformation.  A section is devoted to the Local Government CIO Council, launched on 1 April 2008.

Set out below are the various national advisory and delivery bodies on transformation, with details of Socitm members who are active on these bodies:

The Delivery Council

The Delivery Council provides expert input into cross-cutting agendas supporting the transformation of Government and the building of capacity in delivery skills and competencies specifically in relation to:

• the Transformational Government strategy to drive citizen and business centred services through key actions
• management of the Service Transformation programme, which includes the recommendations of Sir David Varney's Service Transformation review
• the Professional Skills for Government (PSG) programme for Operational Delivery
• the work of the Delivery Unit in overseeing the Delivery of the Prime Minister's top priority outcomes; in conducting the Cabinet Secretary's Capability Review programme; and in the cross-cutting Delivery strategies which result
• the work of the Treasury in overseeing the delivery of PSA targets and in considering the delivery aspects of spending reviews, public sector productivity and efficiency

Local government is represented on the delivery council by:

Peter Housden, Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)
Janet Callender, Tameside BC and Chair, Gov Connect

The Local Government Delivery Council

LGDC was set up under the auspices of the LGA. It is run by the IDeA as the link between local and central government on service transformation, to provide a strong local voice in national discussions.  It aims to highlight, learn from and share good practice already taking place at local level, and to identify the support that is required or the blockages that must be overcome if transformation is to become a reality. The council works closely with other relevant bodies at national, regional and local level, including the Chief Executives Task Group and the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships.

Socitm members on the LGDC include:

Glyn Evans, Assistant Director on Transformation to the Chief Executive, Birmingham City Council

The CIO Council

The Government Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council is the first initiative to bring together CIOs from across all parts of the public sector to address common issues. It meets on a quarterly basis to discuss progress being made in delivering the Transformational Government strategy. The strategy falls into 13 workstrands which each have a CIO Council and Cabinet Office lead and are generally supported by a working group or board. The CIO Council:

• Acts as a focus for partnership between IT professionals across government
• Has a membership drawn from the wider public sector - central government, local government, and agencies in fields such as health and policing.
• Is charged with creating and delivering a government-wide CIO agenda to support the transformation of government and to build capacity and capability in IT-enabled business change
• Balances government-wide agendas with accountabilities in line organisations

Socitm members on the CIO Council are:

Jos Creese, Head of IT, Hampshire County Council
Glyn Evans, Assistant to the Chief Executive on Transformation, Birmingham City Council

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Council

The CTO Council brings together CTOs from across the public sector to create the principal intergovernmental forum tasked with improving government practices related to the design, interoperability, development, modernisation, use, reuse, sharing, performance and efficient use of IT resources.  It sets and implements a programme of technological development and standards to deliver the solutions to support the delivery of the Transformational Government Implementation Plan such as the cross-Government Enterprise Architecture.  Members share an interest in the effective and efficient use of technology to transform the business of government by promoting:

• Joined up government
• Using technology to promote business change
• Improving the performance of government IT resources
• Standardised solutions to common problems using technology

Socitm members on the CTO Council are:

Simon Berlin, Head of Technology & Transformation, London Borough of Lewisham
Tim Rainey, Assistant Chief Executive, Tameside MBC