During the COVID-19 lockdowns, with libraries and public Wi-Fi unavailable, many residents lost access to the internet, and were unable to afford the devices or data they needed to get online. So, in the summer of 2020, using a Stockport Local Fund grant we set up Stockport’s DigiKnow Device Lending Library, with free to borrow […]
Digital StockportWelcome to another of our blog round-ups connecting our community and giving an insight into the innovations and thinking coming out of the Silicon Flyover. If you would like more information on Croydon tech companies, please take a look at our growing directory Gaming Nice work from Testronic who were selected as a finalist for […]
Croydon DigitalHere’s the recording of the workshop I ran earlier today on using a process and template to help match user needs to technology capabilities. We worked through the example of an intranet and there was lots of interesting discussions as everyone chipped in through the session. View and download the slides View and download the template I […]
Dave BriggsOver the past few months I’ve been delving into research on social media algorithms to keep my training deck updated. Like mystical golden fleeces these evolving rules are secret codes locked in Mark Zuckerburg’s golden throne. So powerful are they that they can dictate what is rewarded and overlooked on social media. Each platform has […]
Dan SleeI came across this paragraph in a review of the work of the Elinor Ostrom: The better services are, as defined by professional criteria, the less satisfied the citizens are with those services’. This paradox emerges when the evaluation of the production process focuses solely on the part provided by the regular producer, ignoring the […]
Richard PopeThe second sprint is almost over – where has the last fortnight gone?!! We’ve just completed our second show and tell session to keep everyone up to date with our work, so here’s your summary blog on the goings on in this sprint… Behind the scenes This sprint we’ve had our funding documentation signed off […]
Blog – Welsh Local Government DigitalDiscovering what a local offer should look like for families who have children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) so they can access all different kinds of information, advice and support.
Service TransformationWe’ve just finished our first two-week sprint for the Learning Management System/Experience Platform alpha, and we held our first show and tell last week. Let’s have a look back over our first sprint and what’s happened so far. To give you a quick update on the project, this 10-week alpha is looking at solutions for […]
Blog – Welsh Local Government DigitalThis week saw the release of a damning new National Audit Office (NAO) report about the government’s Green Home Grant scheme. At Citizens Advice we shared some insights into the sorts of things people contacted us about when the scheme was open and the NAO report goes even further.It says the government failed to learn from […]
We are Citizens Advice - MediumBroadcasters have a comprehensive rule book when they are reporting on elections. In that book, outlying polls are not reported until they are supported by at least two other polls. It saves everyone from looking stupid.# So, I was fascinated to be forwarded a link to a US study which shows that US and UK […]
Dan SleeWith normality creeping back so have awards. There is value in entering them so Joanna March has some tips for success. After a year of cancellations and digital ceremonies, face-to-face award events are back on – these events provide fantastic opportunities for networking with your peers and getting to learn more about exciting initiatives within […]
Dan SleeLondon South Bank University (LSBU) is opening its much-anticipated Croydon Campus! On 17 September, the official campus opening day, the LSBU Digital Hub (a centre for bolstering enterprise and innovation) will host its first event in the new location. Entitled “City Futurescapes 2021” and co-organised with Geovation (the startup accelerator of HM Ordnance Survey) and BIG […]
Croydon DigitalWe read the business plans so you don’t have to. Here’s what you need to knowThe 6 electricity distribution companies are known as Distribution Network Operators (DNOs). They take the high voltage electricity off the big grid pylons and deliver it to homes and businesses across Great Britain. These monopoly companies are part-way through a price […]
We are Citizens Advice - MediumGiving evidence as a witness in England and Wales is a different experience for everyone. Each witness has their own unique support needs and concerns. Every court building has a different layout and witness facilities. And every member of the Witness Service team needs to provide a consistent quality of support for witnesses, no matter what.So […]
We are Citizens Advice - MediumPlanning is underway for the Festival of the Future 2021 We’re organising ten events in five locations across five days, involving almost 50 speakers and 100 participants and streaming them live over You Tube to an audience of hundreds, if not thousands, of people online. Why are we doing this? It’s complex, scary and – […]
Digital DorsetDesk research summary All local authorities (LAs) in Wales webcast their council meetings, and it’s been a legal requirement since 2014. The White Paper – Reforming Local Government, states that the Welsh Government intends to introduce a mandatory requirement on all authorities to broadcast their meetings. As part of our work, we were asked to […]
Blog – Welsh Local Government DigitalLeading UK network service provider Freshwave has been working with Croydon Council since 2020 to help improve mobile connectivity in the borough. After the success of an initial deployment of small cells in 2020, more than 40 new sites are now being added to reach other areas. The additional sites will cover areas such as […]
Croydon DigitalA good summary of what happens when cloud companies come for an open-source project, in this case Mapbox Mapbox found themselves in a similar position to Mongo and Redis: they were subsidizing R&D for a handful of trillion-dollar tech giants. As noted here, those looking to open-source for the creation of infrastructure as ‘digital public […]
Richard PopeI’ve written before, back in the before-times of 2015, about the idea of ‘composite services’. It was slightly clunky thinking then, premised on the idea of signing-in to multiple services getting easier through things like oAuth and physical security tokens like Yubikeys. Covid has made composite services in the UK public sector a reality. Here, […]
Richard PopeWith the easing of COVID-19 restrictions we can once again turn on our Open+ self-service technology in those libraries where it was previously available. And we’ve extended the technology to another three libraries. Open+ technology, provided by Bibliotheca, enables people to use the library on a self-service basis without the need for staff to be […]
Digital StockportI recently managed to take a break from working and travelled to Scotland, a place I have never actually been before but will definitely return to many more times. It is quite simply a beautiful and majestic place to spend some time when one is seeking rejuvenation and recuperation It was only 1 week (hindsight […]
A journey through life – Carl's NotepadI’m Tom Gayler, a designer and researcher working with Buckinghamshire council to improve the website. Our aim is to give residents more free time by making everything they do with the council as smooth as possible. My job is to make sure the website helps residents to easily find the right information and to use […]
Buckinghamshire Digital Service - MediumApologies, we’ve not been very good at publishing weeknotes this year. Unbelievably, this is our first update of the year (and my first weeknotes ever). This is an attempt to bring a bit more regularity to our updates. I’m not guaranteeing weekly, but think we can do better than half-yearly.A brief recap of the last […]
Buckinghamshire Digital Service - Medium