How technology can help shape Local Government Service delivery: the the ‘21st Century Town Square'
Current and emerging technology is potentially fundamental for enabling more effective and efficient delivery of local government services, while also enhancing local government's role as an ‘enabler' of community development.
In a recent article three experts suggest that given the sheer size of many local government jurisdictions throughout Australia today, each LGA can perhaps best be thought of as a ‘commonwealth of communities'. In this context, Community Hubs - where several local government services including councillor constituent access, could be co-located - would deliver a ‘21st Century town square' function to each local community. Community Hubs would link up with the Council's central civic function, its corporate ‘core' and with each other as needed, facilitated by both ‘hard' and ‘soft' information technology infrastructure.
Some some emerging local and UK trends are also discussed in this article, first published in the June/July 2010 issue of Councillor Magazine.
The authors are Sasha Lennon and Dr Marcus Spiller (SGS Directors) and Peter Cumming (Managing Director of Urban Systems Pty Ltd).