Improvement Agency (Scotland) has estimated that Scottish Local Authorities spend £6-8 million annually to publish statutory notices in local and national newspapers. Statutory notices include planning consultations, highways works notifications NHS consultations, Police Authorities, Fire and Rescue Services public notices and accounts statements.
Scottish Public Services (Improvement Service) have worked with Private Sector Digital Agencies to develop an approach which has the potential to reduce the costs of statutory (and non-statutory) press advertising and increase exposure and access to this valuable public information. There are opportunities for:
- Reduction of current statutory notice publishing costs by 20-30%
- Greater savings by moving statutory entirely online
- Back office efficiency savings from better administration of statutory notices
- Increasing public access to notices through digital channels
- Linking with other online offerings to provide a wider picture of local activities, both public, private and voluntary sector (hyper-local sites websites).
The Wales Audit Office, WLGA, Good Practice Wales and Improvement Agency (Scotland) held a free, interactive seminar to bring together the most up-to-date practices from across Scotland. Delegates shared and learnt from the Scottish Public Services. By the end of the seminar, delegates were able to select from and adapt approaches to suit their own organisation’s public notices (PINS) needs, enabling them to achieve more with less.
Who was the seminar aimed at?
- Local Authorities: Legal Services; Planning; Licencing; General Notices; Digital Inclusion Officers;
- Public Sector Highways Departments;
- Welsh Government Officers;
- NHS Wales: Patient & Public Consultation Groups and Community Health Councils;
- National Parks;
- Police Authorities and
- Fire and Rescue Services
Seminar outline
The Seminar included:
-
Presentation by Alastair Blair – The Potent Mix [PDF 4.2MB Opens in new window]
The benefits of adopting this approach -
Presentation by Tina Mclelland – Improvement Service Scotland [PDF2.8MB Opens in new window]
How to make digital by default changes to services and ensure inclusion of all sectors of your community
It also included:
- Workshop by Glasgow City Council Planning Department [PDF 2.6MB Opens in new window]
- Workshop on East Lothian Roads (Highways) Department [PDF 551MB Opens in new window]
- Workshop by Wrexham County Borough Council [PDF 596KB Opens in new window]
When and where
Thursday 13th March 2014, 10:00 – 16:00,
SWALEC Stadium, Sophia Walk, Cardiff CF11 9SZ