Glasgow’s new digital strategy will be based on organisational change and ‘mission-driven outcomes’ rather than technology programmes.
The city council has signalled a shift away from digital programmes as key deliverables towards technology as being an enabler of policy priorities.
The new strategy, which is available here, will span the next six years and seeks to advance the ‘digital rights’ of city residents and boost inclusion, fairness and equal opportunities.
It also considers the impact of digitisation on Glasgow’s economic and social life, and how it effects the delivery of council services.
One of the key developments is that digital will also be more central to the organisational change priorities for the council – signalling a more holistic interplay between tech and policy.
Councillor Paul Leinster, chair of Digital Glasgow, pictured below, said: “The new Digital Glasgow Strategy recognises the increased role that digital technology and services will play in the future, and sets out the key actions to deliver the key priorities of the strategy.
“These priorities include not only the delivery of innovative digital public services that bring an improved experience for all those who receive them; but also make our digital economy more inclusive, to increase opportunities and develop skills; and to encourage and enable greater digital inclusion, participation and confidence.”
The strategy recognises that the use of digital technology is now a key part of most people’s personal and work lives, as well as how we access services. It also considers how best to reach those who find it difficult to use or access digital technology and services.
The previous strategy, from 2018-23, consisted of actions that represented specific planned and proposed digital transformation programmes such as the Connected Learning programme, which delivered 85,000 iPads to schoolchildren during the pandemic. It also provided a comprehensive and cohesive narrative of the extent of planned digitisation in the city, and within the council, over the 2018-23 period.
However, the new strategy for 2024-30 adopts a different approach. While it does list the planned digital transformation programmes in coming years as “key priorities”, the focus is on the outcomes that digital is expected to underpin and sets out actions that can better equip and enable the council – and Glasgow – to succeed in delivering these outcomes, in terms of the following ‘missions’.
- Mission 1 – A Fair and Empowered Digital Society: this will improve digital inclusion and equality; build confidence and quality; and increase involvement and participation.
- Mission 2 – An Inclusive Digital Economy: this will improve digital inclusion and equality; develop the pipeline of digital skills; and improve opportunities for Glasgow’s tech ecosystem.
- Mission 3 – Sustainable and Innovative Digital Public Services: this will improve the efficiency, resilience, and agility of our operations; improve the customer experience for our customers; and increase involvement and participation.
The final difference from the old strategy is that the new one is not a technology strategy, and cannot be delivered by technology alone, but it is a strategy for organisational change which will equip Glasgow – and the council family – to benefit from the many benefits that digital can bring, whilst also protecting people’s rights.
The strategy has five core values: to be accessible and inclusive; protect and secure; be open and transparent; involve and empower; and be collaborative and in partnership.
As well as setting the higher order goals, the strategy provides room for some real-life case studies, including Glasgow Life’s Glasgow Code Learning (GCL) programme, a digital skills initiative delivered in partnership with Glasgow Clyde College and supported by Glasgow City Council and CGI.
In housing, the council also developed a real-time tracker of available housing lets turned over by social landlords to homelessness services each month. Another was a single point of entry web portal created by the council to allow telecoms suppliers to access potential sites to instal digital infrastructure – accelerating the speed of delivery of critical online services and connectivity.