Weekly Newsletter - 9.1.2025

Plus: How Wigan is driving innovation in Adult Social Care 🚀

Author

Rafe Houston
January 09, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Local Government Updates

Welcome to Local Government, your weekly newsletter offering insights and strategies to help UK council leaders innovate, engage, and deliver better public services. Explore the latest local government stories with our map! Each pin highlights the key locations featured in this week’s articles, making it easy to dive into the news that matters most in your area. 🗺️

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ADULT SOCIAL CARE NEWS

Adult Social Care faces immense challenges, from rising demand and workforce shortages to increasing complexity in care needs. To address these, Wigan Council partnered with Agilisys Transform to introduce the QuickAction suite of tools, designed to alleviate administrative burdens and empower staff to focus on delivering high-quality support to residents.

By leveraging technology, QuickAction is tackling some of the most pressing issues in Adult Social Care:

Time-Saving Solutions: Administrative tasks can take valuable time away from care delivery. QuickAction streamlines processes, enabling staff to dedicate more time to the individuals they support.

Data-Driven Decisions: In a field where timely and accurate information is critical, QuickAction provides instant access to relevant data, ensuring that decisions are based on the best available insights.

Team Collaboration Made Simple: Effective care requires coordinated efforts. QuickAction enhances communication and collaboration across teams, creating a more unified and responsive approach to addressing residents' needs.

This partnership demonstrates how innovative technology can transform Adult Social Care, helping councils overcome challenges and focus on what matters most—improving the lives of residents.

To find out more about how Wigan Council is driving change with Agilisys Transform press here.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM

Surrey County Council may delay May elections to explore local government reform, citing the fragmented two-tier system. Leaders debate election postponement's impact on democracy, with various political figures expressing differing views. The urgency for consultation reflects the potential risks and opportunities of reform underlined by the government's English Devolution White Paper.

Hi, I’m Ibby, and I’m passionate about how Generative AI can transform the way government serves its people. My first foray into government technology was as a technology lead dedicated to improving citizen outcomes for a bustling borough of over 300,000 residents. Now, as I dive into the world of local government innovation, I am excited to share with you insights, ideas and best in class case studies on how technology can help us build a better future. I’m excited to learn and discover all that Gen AI has to offer - hope you are too!

Why Social Care Reform Can’t Wait!

Hello and welcome to 2025!

As we step into this pivotal year, social care remains at the heart of national conversation. The government’s Care Service Reforms, set to culminate in a National Care Service by 2028, represent an important step forward.

However, I share the concerns of Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England, who has rightly highlighted the urgency of the situation. Waiting until 2028 is simply too long. The crisis in social care is already upon us.

At Agilisys Transform, we believe in solutions that deliver impact now. That’s why we’ve developed tools like QuickAction, designed to support social care teams in creating high-quality needs assessments in just 15 minutes. By leveraging generative AI, QuickAction eliminates the administrative barriers that slow down care delivery.

Think of the difference this could make: freeing up valuable time for overburdened care workers, reducing backlogs, and enhancing the quality of support councils can provide. This is the type of the National Care Service needs.

In 2025, we have the tools, technology, and determination to start reshaping social care now—not in 2028. So let’s make it happen!

👉 Keep up with Agilisys Transform on their website or on LinkedIn.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Fenland District Council faces a £2.6m budget shortfall, prompting potential council tax increases to manage rising costs and demand with reduced government funding. Alternatives, like relocating headquarters, are under review. A consultation for resident feedback will conclude on 2 February, though tax hikes remain a likely necessity by 2029-30.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

West and North Northamptonshire Councils are considering forming a combined authority with regional councils in the South Midlands. This move aims to bolster regional decision-making and investment powers, but concerns centre on missing potential benefits and government-mandated changes without local influence. Council decisions are imminent.

PUBLIC TECHNOLOGY

Public service technology in 2024 faced significant challenges, from legislative changes, cyber warfare, and tech skills shortages to infrastructure upgrades. Key stories included concerns over DWP bank account monitoring, the Cabinet Office's standardisation of devices, and significant developments in Labour's tech policy, demanding urgent governmental scrutiny and action.

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