It was #firePRO21 last week, the coming together of fire and rescue communications. For the first time for 20-months I caught a train and headed to a room where 50-people were in the same room. Weird. Some reflections here on the two days in Birmingham. Do the right thing Whatever your organisation does, there’s a […]
Dan SleeGrowing up there was a local newspaper sports reporter nicknamed ‘Dave McCliche’ because of his fondness for the same phrases. With Dave, the picture caption of two footballers would always read how Player A wins the ball ‘despite the close attentions’ of Player B. In the first weeks of lockdown we had the same emptiness […]
Dan SleeWell, we’re not there yet but we soon will be…. Christmas is coming. Prior to the pandemic, the focus was on what present to buy and how much turkey you can eat. In 2020, it was all about bubbles. In 2021, it’s all about shortages. So, with that in mind, here’s some Christmas present ideas […]
Dan SleeFurther to my previous blog posts on CMS in Local Authorities and CMS used by Scottish Local Authorities I have now created a map showing CMS used in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately I had to start from scratch again so this took quite a long time and was a bit laborious, but I hope it […]
Colin StenningOr how I learned to get over the breakupphoto by Ben_Kerckx. Creative Commons, Public Domain.Over the last two and a bit years Buckinghamshire Council has been involved in a pretty important relationship, and like any relationship it’s gone through a number of phases.When we first met we were flirtatious and full of enthusiasm, but also a little worried, […]
Buckinghamshire Digital Service - MediumHow to avoid online shopping scamsBlack Friday, Christmas shopping and the post-Christmas sales — it’s definitely shopping season! Whether you’re shopping for that must-have gift, a festive party outfit or just treating yourself, watch out for online scams!Here’s our top tips to avoid being scammed whilst online shopping this festive season…1. Does it seem too good to be true?If it seems […]
We are Citizens Advice - MediumAn online marketplace is a platform online that allows businesses or individuals to sell products online. The seller doesn’t own the platform that the items are being sold on. This often means that the platform doesn’t have responsibility for the items being sold.There is currently no legal requirement for an online marketplace to check the safety […]
We are Citizens Advice - MediumStarting Point, as part of the DigiKnow network, has always been aware of some people’s struggle to get online. The issues of digital exclusion and data poverty existed before COVID-19, and we have previously acknowledged the need for broadband and affordable kit, as well as digital skills and confidence. But before COVID, being online was […]
Digital StockportDoing research throughout the lifecycle of a project enables us to understand our users’ needs and check that we are meeting the requirements of the business and users. Ideally, you would work with a user researcher to better understand your audience, their needs and motivations, and the language they use. We know in local authorities […]
Blog – Welsh Local Government DigitalAnd why sometimes it can be the sweetest tastingLow hanging fruitMuch of what we have delivered and worked on over the last 12 months or so has been big picture stuff. Complex services such as planning, schools admissions and home to school transport have been subjected to the prodding and poking of User Research, analytical observation, needs […]
Buckinghamshire Digital Service - MediumFurther to my previous blog post on CMS in Local Authorities I have created a map showing CMS used in Scottish Local Authorities. In due course I’ll also look to do the same for Welsh Local Authorities and then hopefully a combined UK CMS map. These maps are very much a first draft and I’ll […]
Colin StenningCity Futurescapes is an event series which is part of #LSBUDigital, an initiative of London South Bank University Business School. It aims to connect the innovation ecosystem and provide a platform for technology startups, venture professionals, local authorities, government, and academia to explore opportunities in research and innovation together. This year’s City Futurescapes event, held […]
Croydon DigitalSprint 6 is done! And we are now at quite a crossroads in the project. As a team, we’ve set up and planned all the work and are now rapidly delivering during the final two sprints of the project until the end of November. All the planning and preparing that we’ve done in this sprint […]
Blog – Welsh Local Government DigitalWith price hikes and benefit cuts — how can we help more people out of energy debt?We’re entering an extremely difficult winter. The Covid-19 pandemic has left many people worse off. The number of people on claiming Universal Credit has increased substantially over the past 2 years and the recent cut of £20-a-week to payments has been a […]
We are Citizens Advice - MediumI have been reviewing CMS used in local government across the UK for the last three years. I’ve shared this personal research with the LocalGov Drupal project and more recently with Dave Briggs, who has carried out some research of his own. This reinvigorated my interest in this subject so I decided to map the […]
Colin StenningWe migrated our website to a new platform (Placecube) and asked ourselves the question: how can we make sure our website is just as good (if not better) on the new platform? The most obvious way was for us to do some user testing on our old site to find out: · how people search […]
Digital DorsetOne of our main principles as a team is to work in the open and be transparent about what we are doing. We believe in being held accountable. To do this, we want anyone interested to understand our values, intent, and why we do the work we do. With this in mind, we want to […]
Blog – Welsh Local Government DigitalJoin our lovely, inclusive and mission-led team at Royal Borough of Greenwich to deliver meaningful services and products for our residents and staff.
DigitalWeeknotes 5th November 2021When I was young it seemed that life was so logicalrepresentation of HP postcodes (CC Image)So todays weeknotes will hark back to a time when I firmly believed in the veracity and unique nature of Postcodes.Growing up I had assumed that every house had it’s own postcode that could be used to identify where it […]
Buckinghamshire Digital Service - MediumWelcome 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 Movers and shakers LSBU opened a brand new Croydon campus with a […]
Croydon DigitalKeeping young people safe online has never been more important. Throughout this pandemic, we’ve seen all the wonderful benefits technology has to offer. Unfortunately, online issues such as bullying, screen addiction, grooming and exposure to upsetting content have increased at an alarming rate. Research shows a 17% increase in online sex crimes against children (NSPCC) […]
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