Local government IT staff turnover almost doubled last year, rising
from 14% to 23% across the UK, according to the latest ‘IT Trends’
report from the local government Society for ITR Management
(Socitm).
The findings suggest “local government is no longer seen as an
attractive place to work”, Socitm says. It says that recent
improvements in the ease of recruitment and retention in local
government, as the government put money into public sector IT and
the private sector downsized, could be set to be reversed.
The use of consultants and contract staff in council IT departments has
increased over the same period, the report finds. However, it says: “the
long-term use of such resources is rarely a cost-effective approach”.
Overall, spending on IT in UK local government has returned to levels
set at the height of the centrally funded ‘Implementing Electronic
Government’ (IEG) initiative in 2005, the report finds. Total overall
spending by councils on IT reached 3 billion pounds in 2007 following
a predicted post-IEG dip last year to £2.7bn, it finds. In 2005 spending
reached £3.2bn.
Staff costs were by far the largest single cost, at 43 per cent of
spending in 2007. The remainder breaks down as software, 14 per cent;
external services 12 per cent; hardware 11 per cent; data and voice
communications 10 per cent; consultancy and interim management 2
per cent; and ‘other’, 8 per cent .
Other findings of the survey include a shift towards the use of more
mobile devices. The report was based on responses from more than
250 heads of ICT in councils, police and fire authorities, housing
associations, passenger transport associations and other publicly
funded local bodies. It can be purchased at:
http://www.socitm.gov.uk .
