Public Sector News
Jane Inman, Communications and Information Manager, Environment and Economy, Warwickshire County Council (janeinman@warwickshire.gov.uk)
Land, property and street information
Accurate address information is important to the public sector, and two tools that are used in this context are the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) and the National Street Gazetteer (NSG). They are being used in a variety of situations, for example by the emergency services and by CRM systems. In May a booklet was issued by the Improvement and Development Agency (IdeA) and Intelligent Addressing, describing the projects and it can be viewed at www.nlpg.org.uk/documents/Apr07/nlpg_Final.pdf
IDeA has worked with Intelligent Addressing Ltd and local government address managers to produce what is now the definitive index of all buildings, including those in multiple occupation, with a nationally Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). The NLPG is supported by the National Street Gazetteer (NSG), which has been compiled from over 970,000 street submissions from every highway authority, and is the only centrally maintained street database that conforms to the British Standard.
More at: www.intelligent-addressing.co.uk
Pride of Place
The ‘Connect to your council' campaign, which is designed to encourage take-up of local authority online services, has introduced an online poll in which you can vote for your favourite local place. Some famous people have already placed their votes, and the results will be published on local authority websites after the poll closes at the end of November. For more information on online services offered by local authorities, go to www.direct.gov.uk/mycouncil
Blogs in government
A report looking at the use of blogs and online forums as ways of engaging with the public has concluded that innovation is needed in this area. The report was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and the work undertaken by the Hansard Society. The website where you can view the report also includes some interesting case studies; it can be found at www.digitaldialogues.org.uk .
Electronic deposition of papers
MPs, when making statements or responding to Parliamentary questions, often refer to documents that they have deposited in the House of Commons Library. From 6 November 2007, all such documents are deposited electronically, and are available online at http://deposits.parliament.uk .
Blackberries in the House!
You may also have seen that MPs are now permitted to take Blackberries and similar tools into the Chamber, to keep track of their e-mails. It is hoped this will improve attendance at debates, but I do wonder if it will have an adverse effect on the quality of debate, as Members are distracted by their Blackberries!
Public Sector News is supplied by ALGIS (The Affiliation of Local Government Information Specialists) which represents information professionals providing information services to local authority staff and elected members. Jane Inman is currently Chair of ALGIS. ALGIS welcomes anyone with an interest in public sector information who feels they would benefit from being part of a community working in the same area. For more information go to http://www.algis.org.uk . |
