Council chief emphasises role of CIOs

John Barradell of Brighton and Hove City Council said that the importance of the CIO role will be increased by the need for reliable evidence in making key decisions. This will be part of a break with the old structures of local government, with an emphasis on outcomes and more strategic commissioning, he said in a keynote address at the Socitm 2010 conference in the city. This will require a better understanding of what works, "what the big picture needs", and how to increase the social value of services, all of which requires a strong evidence base. "There's a need for open and transparent evidence and the role of the CIO is key," Barradell said. "It's certainly supporting us in how information is provided and used to support these decisions, and the questions of data quality and governance are fundamental to our services." He spoke about the importance of performance management systems and frameworks that measure outcomes rather than just manage activity, and said these have to be deployed not just across councils but to the private and third sector organisations with which they work. "With this the CIO becomes a business strategist who views the whole system of public services," he said, adding that this can help to develop solutions that improve the experience of councils' customers. "The work done by CIOs will provide a platform for wider collaboration in the future, not just among local authorities but with other public, private and third sector organisations. The key skills of CIOs are around analytical and business challenges." Barradell also emphasised the importance of shared procurement, pointing to Brighton and Hove's involvement in the SE7 group, saying there is a need to extend such initiatives, and highlighted the potential of social media for building a better relationship with council customers. All of the service directors at Brighton and Hove now have objectives around the use of social media, and are expected to use it engage with local residents. Barradell said this is aimed at changing the perception of the council, which is more negative than the view that residents have of the city itself.