How can local authorities use technology and data to deliver better public services and harness social media for better interaction with citizens?
Increasingly at LGiU we have been looking at what is happening in local government internationally. Of course one size never fits all but Janet Sillett finds common challenges, common themes and innovation that can be adapted when we cast our eyes beyond the horizon.
Democracy is difficult in the best of times, but when the polity is questioning governance, decision-making and accountability it becomes even harder. Local authorities have responsibility for running elections and by and large do an excellent job of managing registration, balloting and counting. But more could be done to make our democracy better by taking…
It’s that time of year again! Our friends at Democracy Club are getting excited about local elections taking place for thousands of councillor positions across England and Northern Ireland this May. In this guest post, Joe Mitchell tells us what they’re getting so excited about. At Democracy Club we’re thinking about how to bring democracy…
This seminar offers a chance to critically discuss and debate the relationship between Big Data and active citizenship. In an age of austerity, data abundance suggests one approach to improving urban life and generating economic growth. However, active citizens need to think critically and creatively about what kinds of expertise are authorised by the data…
Data privacy is a complex and contested issue, often obscured in jargon and compounded by a presence in and out of the media spotlight. This briefing summarises the findings of a Carnegie UK Trust report on online data privacy.
Eleven years after the Scottish National Party formed a minority government and took charge of Scotland for the first time, LGiU Scotland attended the three-day National Conference packed with fringe events, speeches, policy-making and much more.
Working in public services requires a great deal of connectivity – both with regards to phone signal and internet connection. But what about when you are based somewhere without a good internet connection? LGiU Scotland’s Kim Fellows blogs about her travels across Scotland recently and the difficulties she has faced.
Huge claims are made for the potential of Artificial Intelligence. We look here at recent reports on AI, how AI can support services, and the key issues and challenges that arise in implementing AI.
We live in changing political times and many observe a decline in trust in politics. Meanwhile there is now an unprecedented collection of personal data by public and private organisations. What does it mean to be transparent in the public sector in this context? We speak to Dr Ben Worthy of Birkbeck University on his…
The Care Quality Commission has just published its annual state of care report looking at the quality of health and social care and the issues facing these vital sectors. It’s widely acknowledged that both health and care are facing a fairly acute funding crisis, the CQC highlighted the good – that quality of care is…