The ambition of the Council is to be recognised as a leader of the community and an excellent Authority by its service users and community, as well as by external assessors. The framework for this is set out in the following strategic statement.
The Council’s Vision is: ‘A Borough that shows pride in its local heritage whilst seeking opportunity and choice for future generations.’
The Council’s Mission is to be: ‘A forward looking, efficiently run Council underpinning the Vision by providing first class services that give the community value for money.’
The key strategic priorities are:
- Value for Money
Providing efficient, cost-effective and relevant quality public services. This includes “to use ICT to increase the public accessibility to our services and to increase efficiency in delivering services”.
- Environment & Heritage
Preserving and enhancing a sustainable environment, both rural and urban, within Guildford Borough.
- Social Cohesion
Ensuring our diverse community can live in safety and with dignity.
- Culture
Supporting a diverse range of high quality cultural activities and facilities.
- Dynamic Economy
Encouraging a vibrant business and knowledge based local economy.
The Council believes that improvement from e-government initiatives and the innovative use of new technology are contributors towards achieving these objectives. The Council aims to provide improved services to all in the Borough in the manner which is most convenient to them.
Achievements
The Council has continued to update all its legacy systems and its technical infrastructure as a foundation for initiatives in customer access and knowledge management. A Customer Access Strategy Group is reviewing the access channels used by residents to contact the Council and will develop and implement a ‘take up’ strategy for the services of the Council and its partners. The Council has also implemented a new Website on Microsoft Content Management System. Initially this has concentrated on information, though transactional elements are being developed and the Council is one of the first to make available a Benefits claim form which can be completed and submitted on-line. The Council’s GIS continues to develop through a web based system and there were over 20,000 logins to the system in the six months to 30 September 2003.
Aims
A central aim is to take information and service into the community through initiatives such as:
- Targeting texting of information about sport, art, play and special activities and events through txt2U.
- E-government kiosks to provide information on Council services. Only five judiciously located kiosks will provide over 60% of the population access to a kiosk within a distance of one mile. A kiosk has been installed in the offices for use by Housing tenants
- Further implementation of the transactional website enabling payments across the services of the Council including, Council Tax and car parking fines.
- Development of comprehensive Freephone services which seek to provide free information twenty four hours a day.
- Comprehensive mobile computing support for Council staff to increase efficiency and reduce travel time and costs. A pilot study is underway.
- Provision of links to remote sites, branch offices and other working areas are provided with the latest information using satellite to overcome lack of broadband technology.
- Ongoing work with fellow members of Surrey e-partnership to promote e-government facilities throughout the public organisations in Surrey to provide a seamless and consistent service at a time and place convenient to the public.
The following is a summary of how e-government is supporting current and future improvement under the headings of six of the shared priorities for local government identified by ODPM.
Improving the quality of life of children, young people, families at risk and older people
- The Council has created an ‘Anti-Poverty Group’ to assist deprived residents.
- Provision of information via mobile phones has proved very popular with young people, especially for the Spectrum and the Guildford Civic which is also supported by an interactive website for ticket bookings
- Provision to elderly residents in sheltered housing of an alarm system
- Automatic links to the Primary Care Trust to ensure medication requirements are validated
- Provision of replaced ICT equipment to Voluntary Organisations such as ‘Help the Aged’, Citizens Advice Bureaux and also to Parish Councils
- Liaison with the local Youth Council to enhance the Council’s website
- Links to other public organisations through an extranet and the Surrey E-Partnership
- Plans to assist with a register of welfare organisations forming the base of a community service website
Promoting healthier communities by targeting key local services, such as health and housing.
- Implementation of a choice based letting facility for self-selection of available properties and promotion of affordable housing via a web based system.
- Plan to provide ICT support for single assessment of older people based on mobile computing.
Creating safer and stronger communities.
- Initiative with the Police to create ‘warden areas’ using mobile technology to share information and record incidents (pilot study in progress)
- Implementation of a comprehensive network of CCTV cameras in the town centre and Council offices.
- Provision of a mobile computing support for Council parking wardens.
Transforming our local environment.
- System for automatic air quality monitoring
- Plan to place GIS maps on small ICT devices to assist street based activities, e.g. a mapping layer for contaminated land to assist developers.
Meeting transport needs more effectively.
- Assistance to flexible working by providing staff with access to Council systems via the Internet.
- On-line displays on bus shelter displays showing parking capacity
- System indicating when Park and Ride buses will arrive.
- Operating a Car Share scheme is operated by the Council, which will eventually be extended to the private sector.
Promoting the economic vitality of localities.
- Business forums to promote economic vitality.
- Participation in initiatives for electronic business integration.
- Broadband in rural areas
- Procurement policy to promote use of local businesses.