The experts at Local Gov Strategy Forum polled 134 CEOs, directors, and other strategic leaders from local government organisations to learn more about the strategic and technology concerns they see as most pressing and their anticipated expenditures.
On November 1st and 2nd, 2022, the leadership group will gather for the Local Gov Strategy Forum, where topics like digital transformation and service delivery improvement will likely dominate talks.
The most important results from the initial report are as follows:
Transforming services
Residents anticipate easier and faster access to goods and services as technology develops and improves. In order to maximise the use of resources and give citizens easy access to those resources, local governments must adopt more contemporary and creative methods of providing services.
Digital revolution
In response to the fallout from the Covid-19 outbreak, the organisation is giving top priority to comprehensive and cutting-edge digital transformation initiatives. With the goal of bettering digital infrastructure and expanding government services, the organisation is investing in technologies including cloud computing, AI, and automation.
Management performance
The greatest and most efficient services for local citizens can only be provided by authorities if they are well-managed and monitored, even if government budgets continue to be squeezed thin. Councils may now properly identify, measure, and improve the performance of their operations thanks to performance management tools.
Internet security
Since cyber-attacks against businesses have been on the rise recently, it's more crucial than ever to put money into cyber resilience measures. To maintain public trust in local governments and attract more support, it is essential to guarantee the privacy and security of peoples' personal information.
What priorities will dictate budget allocations?
One of the most pressing issues for municipalities is the necessity to boost investment in Cloud Services. Fifty-one percent of government workers agree that cloud computing and other forms of digital transformation are essential to the sector's long-term success.
The organisation emphasised the significance of improving business intelligence and data analytics to promote efficiency and aid with local governments' transformation efforts, citing the Covid-19 outbreak as evidence for the necessity of such systems being both nimble and responsive.
Just what should we consider to be our top strategic priorities?
Local governments confront formidable obstacles to guaranteeing their financial viability in light of the increasing demand for council services and the tightening state budget. To better allocate resources and maximise efficiency, many local governments are updating their methods for providing services.
With the rising necessity of embracing digital technology and modernising services, the organisation has identified "becoming a digital council" as its second top strategic aim to help facilitate these shifts.
Vital factors in technology design
Councils have had to deal with more issues in recent years, making technology advancements essential to delivering systems, goods, and services efficiently while keeping prices down.
The results of the survey showed that the majority of local governments plan to increase spending in this area to take advantage of new and future digital processes and capabilities, with "creative use of technology to support the wider organisation's business priorities" being the group's top technological priority.
Automating routine administrative tasks within local governments might assist relieve pressure on overburdened government agencies by allowing employees to devote more time to higher-level tasks. Seventy-five percent or more of the sample identified self-service for employees as a top priority, and nearly as many (70%) identified self-service for residents as a pressing issue.
By expanding the amount of digital encounters, a company may free up more traditional channels of connection to help individuals who really need it. This helps increase operational efficiency.
We're excited to see what more comes from conversations at the forum in May.