Social Media in the UK Public Sector

Opportunity and Challenge

Carl HaggertyDevon County Council

What I’ll cover…

• Brief Introduction

• The context for local councils

• The opportunity

• The challenge

Introduction

• Total UK Public Expenditure in 2009 = £609Billion*

• Total UK Local Government Exp ‘09 = £164Billion*

• Devon County Council = £865million

* Source HM Treasury

Public Services in Devon

• 1 County Council• 8 District/Borough Councils• 2 Unitary Councils• Over 400 Town and Parish Councils

• Plus:– Health, National Parks and Emergency Services

County Council Only County Council Joint responsibility with Districts

District and/or Parish/Town Councils Only

Adult Education Canals and Waterways Allotments Concessionary Fares Community Transport Car Parks Consumer Protection Country Parks Cemeteries Education Economic Development Electoral AdministrationHighways Emergency Planning Environmental Health Libraries and Archives Environmental Protection Housing Public Transport Financial Support for

Voluntary Organisations Leisure

Registration Services Industrial Units Licensing

Road Safety Museums and Arts Litter School Transport Public Rights of Way Parks and open spaces Social Services Recycling Planning ApplicationsStrategic Planning Street Lighting Revenue CollectionTrading Standards Tourism Public ToiletsTraffic Management   Waste Collection Transport Planning    Waste Disposal    

Services provided

It’s all about people

Context for Local Councils

• Public Sector Finance– Reduction in budgets - estimates between 20-30% in 2011– Staff reductions

• Increasing pressure from public – Deliver more for less– Social inclusion and participation

• Consumerisation– Speed and access to information– People to People networks

Time for transformational change

The Opportunity

• The big question facing ALL councils right now is.

"Will this eat up my time and make me less productive, or make things more efficient?"

Potential Uses

Survey by SocITM of Public Sector IT Managers - 2009

Improving Communication

• Empowering and involving • Mobile and real time• Internal and External• PR and reputation management

Knowledge Sharing

• NOT knowledge management• eLearning and professional development

– Informal– Formal

• Ideas management• People Finder/Staff Directory

Enhancing Democracy

• Collaborative action• ePetitions and Campaigning• Real time election updates• Reaching disengaged audiences (young people)

Building Communities

• A sense of place• Reconnecting neighbourhoods• Connecting People to People• Fostering active involvement

The challenges

• The big question here is?

“With all the opportunities these new tools present, why isn’t everyone using them?"

Risk Relevance Reputation

• Social web in still immature• Digital Inclusion• Blocking access• Information Security

Getting Personal

• Who am I?• Training, awareness and guidance• Lessons from the past

Organisational

• The “social organisation” challenge• Challenging hierarchy• Culture change• Recruitment and retention of staff

Political

• Online Civic Spaces• What about Elected Officials?• Citizens have a louder voice• Citizens have a direct route to service planning

and budget setting

Final thoughts

• It’s not about marketing or communications, it’s about organisational change

• Public sector is under increasing pressure to reduce costs and innovate

• Successful organisations will adapt

Thank you

• Twitter: @carlhaggerty• Blog: http://carlhaggerty.wordpress.com• Email: carl.haggerty@devon.gov.uk