So what does NWeGG do?
The North West E-Government Group ("NWeGG") is a membership based partnership open primarily to all local authorities and many other public sector agencies in the North West region.
The E in NWeGG used to stand for 'electronic', reflecting NWeGG's formation in the eGovernment era. The E really now stands for 'Transformation'. A point about NWEGG that we often hear is that NWEGG is just about electronic- Government.
The ‘E’ in NWEGG also stands for Enabling, Efficient, Entrepreneurial and Exciting. NWEGG has always worked and will always work to the wider remit expressed by its vision.
"Enabling councils to make services better for the citizen, better for staff and better for the North West" Who does NWeGG work with?
As well as the individual partners, NWeGG also works closely with the following sub-regional partnerships to accelerate e-government in the North West: Cheshire & Warrington Information Consortium, Connected Cumbria Partnership, East Lancashire e-Partnership, Greater Manchester e-Partnership, Lancashire e-Network, Merseyside Digital Development Agency.
Who directs NWeGG?
NWeGG is managed by an Executive Board that is Chaired by Janet Callender, Chief Executive of Tameside MBC. The Executive includes representatives from all five North West sub-regions plus the Programme Manager (Phil Swan) and Accountable Body representative.
The Programme of Work
The programme for 2007-8 aims to deliver four principal benefits in the context of the NWeGG vision:
- Better service availability and access for citizens.
- Better value for money services.
- Better quality services.
- Better Information for the Right People
The Executive Board recognises that this has moved on from the four themes stated in the umbrella 2006/8 programme. However the recent changes in the local government environment suggest that this shift in emphasis is required.
The programme of work includes a wide range of activities which contribute to delivering these benefits and are explained below in more detail.
Benefit 1: Better Service Availability and Access for Citizens
NWeGG recognises the need and can play a role in helping councils to understand their citizen’s needs better and how they can serve them more effectively using the most appropriate service delivery channels. In the 2006-8 programme this theme was referred to ‘Neighbourhoods and Communities’.
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How will the programme do this? |
By when? |
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Deliver Customer Services Managers special interest group seminars to:
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For dates & registration, go to; |
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Publish examples of channel strategies and channel use guidance on the NWeGG website |
July 2007 |
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Promote the results of the NWeGG Standard Roles and Responsibilities in Contact Centres project |
Throughout |
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Delivery of the Business Continuity in Customer Services project |
Phase 1: August 2007 |
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Promote the results of the NWeGG Cost to Serve project and undertake work to define a standard transaction definition model and also process cost standards (with DCLG approval) |
Sept 2007 |
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Create opportunities for NW councils to be involved in the esd toolkit project ‘Citizen Insight’ and disseminate the outputs of this work |
Oct 2007 |
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Help support the next phase of the National Take Up Campaign which is taking part in Greater Manchester |
Sept 2007 |
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Proposed project: Study into the impact of increasing demand for councils services on customer services and efficiencies. |
To be agreed |
These activities are aimed at Customer Service Managers, Directors of Resources, ICT managers, Business Continuity Managers, Process Improvement and Service Transformation Managers.
They will help enable councils to:
- Understand their customers and their needs.
- Understand what it costs to deliver services and be able to compare costs with other councils in meaningful ways.
- Understand which channels are most appropriate for which services.
- Improve the robustness of contact centre availability in times of crisis.
- Benefit from the National Take-Up Campaigns.
Benefit 2: Better Value for Money Services
Value for money is a key driver for councils already, both as part of their operational practices and also the current performance assessment regime, the CPA. Whilst we will not know the form of the successor to the CPA, the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) is very likely to retain a strong focus on value for money.
Of even greater significance to councils is the proposed 3% year on year revenue reduction for councils in the spending period 2007-11 period which will have a far greater impact that the Gershon saving regime against which councils have delivered successfully.
A key area within this area is project and programme management. When industry statistics show that 70% of ICT projects on fail with an overrun of 100% on cost or time, it is clear that the NWeGG programme should help councils tackle the challenges of effective project and programme management. Estimates suggest that there are between 10,000 and 15,000 council employees managing projects in the North West, mostly alongside day jobs, and that more often than not, councils do not know how their projects interrelate and contribute to delivering the strategy of the council.
Similarly, councils recognise the need for stronger business process improvement capabilities to help them understand and reduce the cost of serve delivery, streamline processes and remove non value adding activities. Many councils are creating council wide process improvement teams but there is a shortage in capacity and a need for better sharing of good practice between authorities.
NWeGG recognises the importance of helping councils achieve greater value for money and intends to do so in ways that align with the overall vision.
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How will the programme do this? |
By when? |
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Improve councils’ ability to successfully deliver projects and programmes through the NW Project and Programme Management Support Centre’s activities, including cheaper training, better knowledge sharing and new products. |
Phase 1: June 2007 Phase 2: Mar 2008 |
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Increase council’s Business Process Improvement capabilities through:
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Working with the NWCE, create and support the North West Shared Service Programme to:
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March 2008 |
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Promote NWeGG supported work on the Blackburn with Darwen Process Architecture work, alongside the developing District Council specific Process Architecture work at Chorley BC. |
Throughout |
These activities are will help enable councils to:
- Understand what it costs to deliver services and be able to compare costs with other councils in meaningful ways.
- Manage and deliver process improvement and projects and programmes more effectively.
- Reduce the cost of process improvement and project and programme management training.
Benefit 3: Better Quality Services
It is not sufficient for councils to only improve the availability of services and do so in ways that provide good value for money, but the quality of service delivery also needs to improve. NWeGG aims to help councils do this through a number of activities, some of which have been mentioned previously.
Several of the activities previously included in the NWeGG themes ‘Neighborhoods and Communities’ and ‘Adults and Childrens Services’ are included here:
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How will the programme do this? |
By when? |
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Help councils share information with each other and their LSP partners by providing standard information sharing agreements that councils can draw from. |
Throughout |
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Proposed project: Perform an audit of how councils currently share information with each other and their partners, so that others can reuse these good practices. |
To be agreed |
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Improve the robustness of council ICT functions by providing council specific IT security alerts via the NW Warning Advice and Reporting Point. |
Throughout |
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Improve the quality of ICT delivery by sharing good practice on information security and assurance through a series of seminars and networking events. |
For dates & registration, go to; |
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ICT managers are better equipped to tackle the Children’s Service agenda through seminars to share good practice and raise awareness of national initiatives. |
For dates & registration, go to; |
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Help councils understand how they can effectively use national infrastructure such as Government Connect. |
Throughout |
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Help councils to access services and resources provided by the esd toolkit through regional workshops. |
Throughout |
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Promote the National eService Delivery Standards |
July 2007 |
These activities will help councils to:
- Improve the effectiveness and robustness of service delivery.
- Work more effectively with their partners and other councils.
- Tackle the Children’s Services agenda.
- Make best use of national infrastructure.
Benefit 4 – The Right People having the Right Information
The Local Government environment is complex, fast moving and often difficult to keep track of. NWeGG can help councils identify impending government and regional initiatives and often create opportunities for councils to become involved in those initiatives, helping build knowledge and good practice in the region and attracting funding and resources.
NWeGG also has a role to play in helping councils lobby the government’s leaders and influencers on strategies and issues that councils feel strongly about.
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How will the programme do this? |
By when? |
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Two NWeGG Full Members Meetings in Spring and Summer. |
13th July 2007 Feb 2008 |
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An Annual Conference with high profile speakers, industry support with an Executive Dinner for Chief Executives and speakers. |
December 2007 |
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Monthly newsletters with useful information, requests for information from councils, project updates, opportunities for councils. |
Ongoing |
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Opportunities for councils to present good practice at seminars which government strategy makers and programme managers are present |
Ongoing |
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Opportunities for councils to present their good practice to each other through seminars, events and by ‘match making’ between councils. |
Ongoing |
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Occasional articles in periodicals such as the Municipal Journal and Government Computing |
July 2007 August 2007 January 2008 |
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NWeGG presence at the NWIN Showcase, LGA and Labour Party Conferences |
June, July, Oct 2007 |
These activities will help practitioners and council leadership to:
- Keep up to date with policy and government strategy in this area.
- Learn and share between councils.
- Identify opportunities to demonstrate good practice to a wider audience.
- Conduct business between councils.
- It will also help raise the profile of council successes in the North West with other councils and government departments.