I couldn't help being amused at this article, and some of the comments upon it!

http://www.ec-insight.com/nav.cfm?m=5130&nh=1&hl=http%3A%2F%2Ftechnology%2Etimesonline%2Eco%2Euk%2Ftol%2Fnews%2Ftech%5Fand%5Fweb%2Farticle4350711%2Eece


Today I worked from home and finished the week fairly satisfied to be in that rare position of being up-to-date with correspondence.

Rose and I drafted proposed appraisal targets for Adrian, and have booked his appraisal meeting for 6th August.

The two Executive Directors (Adrian and David Houston) and I had an end-of-week catch-up by Teleconference – covering budget monitoring, preparations for a supplier meeting on 7th August, membership model development progress, Director training and contracts, among other things.


This month's Socitm President's Report was today published on the web-site. http://www.socitm.gov.uk/socitm/News/President+reports.htm


Back in June (on Saturday 21st) I wrote of my encounter on a flight to Philadelphia. David and I have since corresponded and here is an extract from his latest e-mail to me. I'm hoping that, working with LOLA and others, we can get a campaign going to do something really useful to combat such social injustice.

"Not only is there a digital divide – there is a digital overload – I work with Indigenous people all over the world – who need a voice and positive action taken to protect their lands, rights, lives – yet if we get this information out – it needs to affect people – there has to be action – I can supply images of chiefs in Brazil confronting loggers/ranchers to try to save the forest – what few people understand is that if they are not able to protect this forest – we as a people are at risk (20% of all man-made carbon emissions are for forest destruction). We need to get these people on the internet and to funnel this to people that will take action.

"These are also examples of my work and the messages that can be delivered really make a difference…

• Price of herbs in remote parts of Nepal – posting prices on text messages – so don't get ripped off and children sold off to bonded labour when cannot pay bills.
• Price of wheat in Delhi for small farmers in Punjab.
• Use of cameras in child labour in India – documentation of atrocities and use of video.
  Access to information in remote areas – a good example is a washer ring in a hand pump in India – cannot find part or locally charged a small fortune – take a picture of the washer/hand pump registration # of well and send to central dissemination area in Delhi – hey presto a washer for 5 cents and postage of 20 cents rather than the local charge/corruption/non-availability.

"I have contacts with the Congo pygmy people where cannibalism is being caused to the people due to mining of certain minerals used in computers – the miners have run out of bush meat – so they eat the people.

"If we can help these people get messages out – be part of the global community – and target their messages – LET ME KNOW.
"On my constant travels – the message I hear most, from a Native American reservation in the US, the Pacific Island, Indigenous people of Nepal, Africa, Central America, etc. etc. is 'I have not been forgotten'".

Have a good weekend!

Today started with "The Greening IT" Launch, at the Science Museum.

Chris Chant – DeFRA (Department for Food & Rural Affairs) CIO – introduced the meeting, explaining the event was being held to launch the programme based on an initial report, published by the Cabinet Office, developed on behalf of the CIO Council by a group chaired by the MOD's Catalina McGregor. The strategy was to act quickly and "simply".

Tom Watson, the Minister for Transformational Government, was next to speak. He referred to the Science Museum's Survival Exhibition – by-lined "Your Planet needs you" (which we all got to visit afterwards) saying our World is a contained eco-system. "It took Al Gore 15 years from championing the Information Superhighway to link the need to combat an inconvenient truth" (environmental damage potential of ICT). "Turning-off all Whitehall computers at night would have the same effect as taking 40,000 cars off the road." Central Government has set a target of making its central office estate carbon neutral by 2012, and all Government carbon-neutral by 2020.

John Higgins, Director-General of Intellect – made the case for developing an economic model that factors-in the cost of carbon in all business cases, and for a cross-Government Charter. "Increasing ICT's 2% contribution to World carbon emissions would be a good thing if it created greater carbon savings elsewhere."

Andrew Lee – Chief Executive of the Sustainable Development Committee – said it takes 1.7 tons of raw materials to make a PC, which has the same environmental impact as a SUV (Chelsea Tractor).


I had a couple of hours to kill in Westminster before my next meeting, so I tried using BT OpenZone in this wonderful wireless city. It cost £6 for 90 minutes' use within 24 hours of signing-on, which I didn't think unreasonable. The signal was strong, but speed was very slow, and I lost network access within about 30 minutes, and was unable to reconnect. Episodes like this just reinforce, for me, the need to have a comprehensive approach to accessible broadband infrastructure.


After lunch, I met with Keith Holder, at the DCSF (Department for Children, Schools & Families) about their work on Authentication. We spoke about the programme – authentication currently being piloted in the "key to success" application in a number of Authorities – next stage to pilot the employee registration process – full functionality through the Government Gateway by November – and of links to Government Connect, and how Socitm can help with the programme and cross-Government linkage. We agreed a number of actions including working with Government Connect and others through a Socitm facilitated Discussion Forum on the pan-Government high-level vision for Security and Data Sharing, and quarterly follow-up meetings.

On Tuesday afternoon I attended mandatory training for senior management of Newham Council on the Corporate Manslaughter & Corporate Homicide Act 2007, which came into force at the beginning of April, this year. It applies to both the public and private sectors and, hence, Socitm, so we'll need to ensure we consider implications for us. I got permission to copy the hand-outs.


An e-Mail arrived from BT's Dr. Joe Walsh.

"I thought I should bring to your attention the announcement we have just made about a major investment in very high speed broadband. Full details are in the press notice attached, but in brief we will be spending around £1.5 billion bringing a range of fibre based broadband services with top speeds of up to 100Mb/sec (and the prospect of speeds of more than 1,000 Mb/sec in the future) within reach of up to ten million homes.

"The effect will be to maintain and advance the leadership role the UK has already built in the availability and use of broadband services.

"We still have work to do in relation to agreeing an appropriate regulatory framework with our regulator and in developing our detailed deployment plans. In addition, we are in contact with the GLA Group, including the LDA, and the Regional Minister to take on board their views to inform our roll-out plans.

"We are very keen to work with the London Boroughs, and would welcome any input to our planning that you may wish to contribute."

I replied, saying we should talk.

Meantime, we are setting-up meeting to plan Programme Management of the full Newham Infrastructure Convergence project and procurement of the network, the Public Sector Mobile Portal project is proceeding apace, and we are considering a proposal for a Newham WiMax pilot.

"Communities in control: real people, real power" - launched 9 July 2008.

Socitm is planning a response to this White Paper, which is about passing power to communities and giving real control and influence to more people. As one of the means of achieving this, the White Paper encourages the use of web 2.0, email and SMS as accepted petition methods. The paper contains an annex which gives an indication of plans for implementation. Some elements of the White Paper will be subject to formal consultation in the coming months. Some of the policies within the White Paper will require legislation and will feature in the Community Empowerment, Housing and Economic Regeneration Bill, which forms part of the draft 2008/2009 legislative programme.

Feedback can be registered by sending an email to communityempowerment@communities.gsi.gov.uk. You can also make a posting on the Communities in Control discussion forum at http://haveyoursay.communities.gov.uk/forums/73/ShowForum.aspx

However you respond, please send Socitm a copy, to help us collate a corporate response on behalf of our members.


Get your entries in to Innovate08 – supported by Socitm

Innovate 08 is a Microsoft initiative supported by Socitm that will showcase and develop ground-breaking ideas in local government that may have a technology element. The competition will identify and support teams with innovative approaches to tackling some of the biggest issues facing Councils today, including social inclusion, place-shaping, community engagement and environment. The competition is being run with LGC, and further information about entry criteria and how to enter can be found on the LGC website. The closing date is 24 July and the winner will have the opportunity to present their solution at Socitm 2008.

OGC (Office of Government Commerce) Buying Solutions has asked Socitm to provide input to its Team that is to negotiate a new Microsoft licensing agreement for the Public Sector, advising, particularly, on Local Government requirements, which we have gladly agreed to do.


Adrian & I met in Starbucks, near Kings Cross Station, in Euston Road, for last minute discussion of issues pertaining to today's Socitm Board Meeting - then went on to the Committee Room booked for the purpose, in Camden Town Hall in good time for the 10.00 start.

The meeting again had a packed agenda, reflecting the present pace and scale of development in the Society. I'll include a full report and other news since our last meeting, which I plan to publish on the web-site and circulate to our membership next Wednesday. I'm afraid this is a little later than intended because I'm on holiday from tomorrow – back on Tuesday. "Wot – again", you say? Yes, but apart from one day for a wedding in August, this should be the last until the end of November. In fact, this year is the first (that I can remember) when I've ever taken or booked my entire leave entitlement, and certainly the first time that's happened so early in the year – partly reflecting the overseas socialising on behalf of the Society!

A few points that I think may be of interest, from today's meeting are:

• Shey Cobley, last year's Graham Williamson Challenge Award winner, attended for the first time as an adviser to the Board. When asked to reflect her impressions at the end of the meeting, one of her comments suggested a continuing need to achieve greater transparency and clarity in financial matters, which also suggests the chief priority for our next meeting! Shey, who does some lecturing for Oxford Brookes University, also made some very pertinent observations about the opportunities for engaging with higher education in areas like research, and also mentioned the Oxford Internet Institute in this connection.
• The Board agreed to appoint Adrian Hancock to a three-year contract as Managing Director; this is subject to an appraisal, as soon as we can arrange it, which will include a number of performance objectives, to which some of the remuneration will be linked. Rose (as holder of the HR Portfolio on behalf of the Board) and I will conduct the appraisal.
• David Houston presented his last report on behalf of the Affiliates, proposing a structure with separate Membership and Commercial divisions, which was agreed (with some amendments relating to developments such as the CIO Council and Socitm Futures).
• The Board also agreed to appoint David Houston as an Interim Executive Director. David will mainly be focussing on developing our financial systems and sustainability, developing the commercial arm of the business, and helping to firm-up the new Membership model. We anticipate that David will also assist with the recruitment of his permanent replacement, in due course. In appointing the second Executive Director, a requirement will be for the appointee to be London-based.

Today I attended the London Connects Conference – a highlight of the London Government year.

The highlight of the day, for me, was my attendance, in the afternoon, of the "Public Office" meeting organised by Kable. In an especially laid-out room, participants were first invited to view and hear the stories of five families – each of which was struggling to negotiate help from public sector bureaucracy with problems they faced in their lives. Then we were asked to consider various projects – from both the public and third sectors – under five intervention themes, their effectiveness and what we can learn from them. Then, in teams we were asked to consider how the public sector can organise itself to support the sort of family situations that we learned about and, finally, we came together to discuss our learning from the afternoon.

What struck me was the fact that I quickly noticed a number of parallels in my own family life in trying to deal with life's problems – such as bereavement, care of elderly parents, dealing with disability, schooling etc. I am, however, more affluent and better equipped to deal with those problems, than most of our case studies, and the problems may not have been so severe. All the featured families seemed to show a remarkable determination to try and find the solutions for themselves, in the face of public services that were far from joined-up, and lacked empathy with the situations that they found themselves in.

My personal view was that, although the sort of challenges these families encountered are not new, they have probably been exacerbated by modern living, and a core issue is how we engage Society in developing the solutions, but there is certainly much that public services ought to be able to do to organise itself better to provide more comprehensive and cohesive services. A common theme was that families were looking for the help to be able to help themselves, so mentoring and advocacy seemed key requirements.

"The Public Office" is being developed as a project to consider how Public Service (including the private and third sectors) can listen to the real voices of service users and think about how public services could be re-engineered from the users' point of view. I understand there will be a web-site (at www.thepublicoffice.org.uk ) which doesn't appear to have been launched yet, but I'm looking forward to supporting its development.

The Public Office will be a feature at Socitm 2008 - 12th-14th October. (Early bird booking ends on 25th July!)