Public Sector Roundup: New leader, same old software
This week, the government's transformation plans get a new leader, a survey shows local authorities use the same six software suppliers, councils in Blackpool and Durham search for efficiencies with IT and West Yorkshire Police create their own version of YouTube.
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The survey also discovered that in-house software development is limited to maintenance of older systems or found in areas with less well-developed applications, such as committee administration or waste management.
West Yorkshire Police expand video use
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West Yorkshire Police
The force's IT radio manager Roy Stokes said: "This should make a significant difference to how officers work and provide a higher degree of security for both custody and help desk staff."
The force also expanded video services to their press office, combining text releases with video clips, allowing the public and journalists to access office interview footage on the website.
Website communications manager Patrick Brooke said: "This latest move will give the public a more animated perspective of what the police do, allow radio stations to retrieve audio from interviews and provide televisions stations with an immediate access to footage on current issues."
Durham maps council travel
Brian Dougherty of the council's corporate geographic image system unit said: "This has the potential to deliver substantial cost savings to the council, as well as reducing the environmental impact of vehicle emissions."
Blackpool saves 2 million on shared services
With 400 different phone numbers across the council to access services, something needed to be done. Blackpool integrated its information management services, allowing for data sharing between departments, creating a streamlined, more accurate service which they called "Customer First".
Elaine Midgeley, assistant Customer First manager said: "Putting all the customer facing benefits operations under one umbrella has streamlined processes and ensures that each citizen can be assessed just once, rather than multiple times."
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