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Shining the spotlight on excellence Our new Certificates of Excellence scheme aims to reward innovation and transformation throughout the year. We have awarded five certificates since the scheme started, with the first five given at our Local Government Transformation conference last November. In this issue we highlight two of our winners - The Kent Public Service Network Govroam and South Staffordshire District Council
The Kent Public Service Network (KPSN) Govroam he KPSN Govroam project - short for Government Roaming - gives roaming Wi-Fi services to public sector staff across 16 organisations in Kent. The original aim - to give seamless, secure connectivity to approximately 30,000 staff across the county - was met in July 2017. The project has since continued to grow, with other organisations in the county adopting Govroam in partnership or alongside KPSN, including universities and NHS Foundation Trusts. Govroam is a national service co-ordinated by Jisc. Each authority or federation is responsible for its own implementation, with Jisc making Govroam a UKspanning network. This adds value for signed-up organisations, giving access to a wider network and a supportive community to draw experience from. The Jisc Govroam network has around 3,900-plus sites across the UK. Using KPSN Govroam, public sector staff can effortlessly connect at more than 400 sites in Kent, including 100 council buildings, 100 university buildings, 87 libraries, 63 fire stations, 49 children centres, eight youth centres, six hospitals, five adult education centres, four leisure centres, three family centres, one castle and one theatre. Public sector staff can access the Govroam network at any participating organisation using a single, securely-authenticated sign-on managed by their own organisation. Visiting staff can therefore access
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any Govroam-enabled guest to Govroam and where to find the network using their own sign-in service, including being proactive credentials, reducing the time spent in distributing promotional material managing user accounts. such as leaflets and stickers for There are many other benefits, sites to promote access to users. including allowing staff to work KPSN is now looking to expand more effectively in different its Wi-Fi accessibility at other sites, locations because they don't have including country parks, care to worry about connectivity. It homes, GP surgeries and so on. encourages flexible working across George Rhodes, Technical locations, encourages co-location Projects Officer at KPSN, said: opportunities between public "Being awarded a Certificate of KPSN's George Rhodes sector organisations, reduces Excellence gives recognition for all with Dr Andrew Larner chances of a security attack the hard work our partners have through vulnerabilities created through multiple put in to make the projects a success. Delivering separate Wi-Fi configurations and gives procurement Govroam is fundamentally partnership work and to be confidence to public sector organisations since recognised for Kent's dedication and collaboration, Govroam meets public sector procurement rules. and the achievements that collaboration has With Govroam in place, organisations can also end produced, helps us demonstrate to others that maintenance on corporate Wi-Fi networks. partnership working between public sector The service is very popular, replacing corporate Wiorganisations can achieve great things. Fi solutions in some areas. Figures show that in "This is also the first award any Govroam service September 2018, KPSN was authenticating 6,500has won since the Jisc-owned national service went plus Govroam users per week. As of March 2019, this live. It is therefore a great opportunity for Kent to has grown to more than 20,000 authenticated users stand as an exemplar to all those considering per week. implementing the service and help promote the To enable users to get the best out of the service, national Govroam rollout.” KPSN has initiated awareness campaigns and To find out more about the national agenda visit: developed supporting documents on how to connect www.jisc.ac.uk/govroam n
South Staffordshire District Council outh Staffordshire District Council has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence in recognition of the work it has done since 2011 to achieve financially stability. The council has gone from being an authority with no history of borrowing to invest, to one which now thinks and acts commercially for the wider benefit of the community. The council is proud that 96 per cent of its residents rate South Staffordshire as a good place to live and that it has the fourth lowest District Council Tax in England. The idea of becoming increasingly entrepreneurial was first born in 2011 with the launch of a councilwide Transformational Business Plan which generated £2.4m by 2014. The council then worked with an entrepreneur, funded by a Local Government Association (LGA) Expert Productivity Grant, to explore new income generation ideas. This led to the introduction of a council-wide Efficiency and Income Plan (E&I), which was noted as an area of strength in an LGA Peer Review in 2018, and is now generating more than £1m annually. In 2017, the newly-appointed CEO implemented a new leadership structure, introducing corporate directors to help drive the E&I Plan and build the council’s entrepreneurial nature and commercial activities.
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The E&I Plan has so far and let out remaining space in its supported £34m new asset main building to generate income. acquisitions and developments, The council has now secured a generating more than a six per cent £9.9m investment to refurbish and return on investment. Staff and extend this building, increasing Member suggestions have also occupiers and generating increased, with more than 70 new additional income. The refurbished entrepreneurial ideas put forward, building – the Community Hub reflecting the cultural change of the will encompass a café, library, organisation. The council has also three tiers of government, wedding focused on strengthening and conference venue, retail, GP commercial activity through surgery, small businesses, Police South Staffordshire's targeted service re-design and, and NHS Trusts. This will bring Jas Bhogal and Imre Tolgyesi supporting this, a new virtual sales together NHS teams, children’s with Dr Andrew Larner and marketing team has been and social care, housing and created, enabling teams to develop plans with set benefit teams into an integrated hub environment, targets and outcomes. Collectively, this is securing a enabling service transformation and delivering swifter net increase of £100,000 income per annum, while triage of services for the district’s most vulnerable investment in this approach with a £60,000 residents. commercial investment fund is on target to generate Jackie Smith, Corporate Director Commercial at a further £250,000 income. South Staffordshire District Council, said: "The Staffordshire Business Hub is another example of culture of the organisation is truly transforming to an how the local authority has commercialised its entrepreneurial mind-set matched by a public sector assets, staying true to its public sector principals and ethos to delivering integrated services with our generating £300,000 new income annually. The partners to the community, generating new income Council significantly condensed its office footprint to create financial stability." n To apply for a Certificate of Excellence, visit our website: https://www.iese.org.uk/ certificate-of-excellence
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