Harlow District Council

There are so many major open source products available but the vast majority of councils continue to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on traditional services from the traditional companies like ‘Microsoft Office” as an example. We could be using Gmail/GSuite or other software and this is just one example.

Also to communicate we could be using combinations of WhatsApp, Facetime and Skype to name just some but generally don’t.

Internally many councils lock access down to websites and social media instead of embracing the opportunities it can give.

Cloud based services are still met with caution despite seemingly becoming the norm.

There seems to be a “can’t do because of xyz” attitude with local government behind the private sector who embrace technology. Why can’t it be the other way round?

I would like to explore how can we change this and utilise technology, not from an ‘IT department’ perspective but from a transformation  perspective.

What are the opportunities? What are the savings? What will it take to change perceptions? How can we ‘Be Bold’ and do things differently. Is there appetite to change and if not why?