Priority policy areas

Socitm is playing a significant role in developing and promoting policies for local government around information handling, including the full scope of information assurance - data quality, risk management, legislative compliance, security, business continuity, disaster recovery and resilience. 

The National Information Assurance Strategy (NIAS) developed by Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) was launched in June 2007.  Socitm has been working with GCHQ and CESG on the approach and vision for Information Assurance (IA) in local government and on the delivery approaches for the NIAS up to 2012 announced in June 2008.  A CESG liaison officer is working with Socitm to on local government needs and requirements.  As part of this work, Socitm co-chairs the National IA Forum, (NIAF) a pan-government independent think tank on Information Assurance.

Socitm has led the work nationally on the data handling approach for Local Government, working in partnership with the Local Government Association to produce the Local Government Data Handling Guidelines issued on 18 November.  The guidelines are local government's response to the Government's Data Handling Review. They provide local authorities with an essential checklist of actions, highlights of best practice in secure data handling, and sets the standard for local government around a topic that has been much in the news in recent months.

Socitm is working with the Department of Communities and Local Government and the Department of Work and Pensions on aspects of identity management linked to the Tell Us Once (TUO) project. This will inform the future shape of TUO services and indirectly towards work in the National Identity Strategy.

Socitm is part of the pan-government working group that helped to shape and draft the HMG Security Policy Framework.