Plan to link councils runs into problems

The £33m Government Connect (GC) programme has sparked a difference of opinion between central government policy-makers and the local authorities charged with its implementation.

Chief information officers (CIOs) are in favour of the programme and most councils have signed up to implement a live connection to the network, but few have started work on physical connections.

The programme’s “code of connection”, which sets out the required information security standard, has been flagged by senior IT managers as a stumbling block.

The requirements laid out in the code of connection are demanding for a reason, according to Janet Callender, chief executive of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council and who chairs the Government Connect programme board.

“It is not designed to be easy ­ it is not there just to protect the systems and data of an individual authority, it is there to protect the systems and data of all the authorities connected to the network,” she said.

All authorities in England and Wales must implement a Government Connect exchange (GCSx) infrastructure by 31 March 2009, to continue receiving case data from the Department of Work and Pensions.

While it has not been mandated, councils that do not meet the deadline face being unable to access this information, which they need to support their housing and council tax benefits services.

Councils expecting to miss the deadline must apply for a six-month exemption to continue receiving the information.

“I can see no reason why every authority cannot be connected to GC by 31 March 2009,” said Callender.

“A few councils may apply for exemptions, but it is difficult to argue a case for not connecting. Running costs are free, and hundreds of similar organisations have already done it.”

Callender believes every council should welcome the opportunity of adhering to the code of connection. Compliance is critical for councils to activate their exchange, but there are questions about whether local government security managers and policy-makers have been trained to the required standard.

It is also unclear if all councils have comprehensive information security policies in place.

“We must work on how we ­ government as a whole working in partnership ­ can assist with GC adoption and in particular, compliance with the Code of Connection,” said one senior local authority IT manager. He also predicted a large number of councils would seek exemptions.

“GC is right and it will work, but local authorities will need some money to make it work.”

Fewer than 50 of the 410 councils in England in Wales have yet to request a connection. To date, just 15 local authorities are compliant with the connection requirements.

“I would say 100 per cent connectivity is challenging, but the majority of councils are in the process and that is very good,” said Siobhan Coughlan, principal consultant at the Improvement and Development Agency.

“But to have Government Connect working to its full potential, it makes sense to have every local authority involved,” she said.

Glyn Evans, corporate director of business change at Birmingham City Council, said: “I am keen for there to be local authority representation in the governance around the exemptions.

“With colleagues on the local government CIO council, I will be lobbying for that,” he said.

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