A Socitm Policy Briefing on the Digital Britain Final Report

Produced by: Socitm

Type: Briefings

Socitm Futures has produced this briefing to provide a Socitm perspective on the Digital Britain Final Report, and to highlight opportunities and areas of concern to Socitm members.

Socitm welcomes the Digital Britain Final Report. At a time when public services are facing unprecedented budgetary pressures and ever increasing demands, the report highlights opportunities and benefits from targeted investment in ICTs.

The report's proposals are pivotal to developing more sustainable, efficient, secure and shared services. As such, the report is timely. It offers some important prescriptions for Government and public services, and, by devoting a whole chapter to 'Digital Government' demonstrates the importance attached to this sector as a source of stimulus to the wider economy

In recent years, Socitm has argued that ICT deployment in locally delivered public services should be seen as an investment in the future, rather than cost to the present. The report reinforces this principle with its 'Universal Service Commitment' to extend broadband access to those areas the market views as unviable. As an organisation, Socitm defines the scope of its activity around the three themes of:

• Information
• Innovation
• Improvement

Our response the Digital Britain Report asks a key question around each of these themes.

Last modified: 10th December 2009