Journalist, editor, analyst and trainer on IT, healthcare, government and data
Promoters of social care reforms are claiming that they could mean significant savings on healthcare
Andrew Dilnot’s plans have since been considered, altered, then rejected by the government. Continue reading “How Andrew Dilnot and social care might save the NHS”
One council in the north-east has found numerous benefits from co-locating services including running parents young child groups at its fire stations
The north of England seems to see more collaborative public services than the south. This is a great example from Northumberland.
Continue reading “Collaborative public services: lessons from Northumberland”
Data from two councils, a rural district and a London borough, suggests big differences in spending on CCTV
Using Freedom of Information to find council CCTV costs, usage and efficiency in two contrasting areas of England. More recently, I have mapped comprehensive data collected by Big Brother Watch on this subject.
The debate over the use of CCTV can be rather sterile. The police, local authorities and other parts of the public sector present them as a public good, there “for your safety and security” as station announcements phrase it. Continue reading “A tale of two cameras”
A council using automatic numberplate recognition to manage traffic has released the locations of the cameras, having previously refused to do so
Oxfordshire county council initially refused to provide the locations of its then-new ANPR traffic camera sites, but did so when I requested the data under Freedom of Information – to its credit, only nine days after I asked. Police forces have taken a somewhat less co-operative view on this subject. Continue reading “Oxfordshire reveals ANPR traffic camera sites”
Local authorities are keen to widen participation in democracy through the use of technology, but many campaigners are sceptical, says SA Mathieson
This article was based on a Bristol city council e-democracy conference, held to discuss the potential for more online participation in the democratic process. Continue reading “Pushing the button”