Tom Loosemore, co-founder of the Government Digital Service (GDS), highlighted the shortcomings of the UK’s digital government in a recent talk. He expressed concerns over the slow pace of digital transformation and the lack of user-centric services. Loosemore argued that the initial vision for GDS, which was to make government services so good that people prefer to use them, has been lost. He also noted that the current approach to digital transformation is too focused on individual departments and not enough on cross-government collaboration.
Loosemore suggested that the UK should look to countries like Denmark, which have successfully digitised their public services, for inspiration. He also urged the government to focus on creating a single, secure digital identity for every citizen, a goal that has been elusive so far. The lack of a unified digital identity system is a major roadblock to the delivery of personalised, user-friendly services, according to Loosemore.
In his talk, Loosemore also criticised the outsourcing of digital services, arguing that it has led to a lack of in-house skills within the government. He claimed that outsourcing is a short-term solution that has negative long-term consequences. Loosemore’s comments underscore the need for a renewed focus on user needs, collaboration, and in-house capabilities in the UK’s digital government.
Go to source article: https://government.diginomica.com/2018/11/27/tom-loosemore-reminds-us-just-how-much-digital-government-is-flailing-in-the-uk/