Bring your own device and staff cuts: Two key trends for local authorities

Bring your own device and staff cuts: Two key trends for local authorities

Socitm report finds change in attitude about local public service staff using own technology to undertake business tasks and largest cut in staffing levels in 25 years

More than 90% of councils and other local public authorities are happy to allow their workforce to use their home PC to carry out work functions, according to a report by Socitm.

The report into IT trends in local public services 2011-12 also found 30% of organisations surveyed said they also allow the use of personal smartphones to carry out local authority business while 60% permit staff to use their own laptops for work tasks.

Public organisations will become more reliant on staff using their personal devices to support their roles as they look to become more efficient, Socitm said.

Speaking at the launch of the report, John Searle, IT trends editor at the association, said there has been a huge shift to attitudes around 'bring your own device' in a relatively short period of time.

"In 2009 local public services would have said 'Over my dead body,' if you asked them about staff using their own technology," he said.

Socitm's report, which surveyed around 600 councils, police and fire authorities, housing associations, and passenger transport organisations, also found a dramatic reduction in the number of IT workers in local public services.

Staffing levels were down by 5,000 in 2011-1, taking the number of IT workers to just over 22,000, according to the report. It's the largest reduction in 25 years, Socitm said.

"We've talked about big cuts in [IT] staff before. There are massive cuts in staff headcount, forecast for through the year, to the end of the year, and of course that is very much in line with what is happening across the whole of the sector, not just in IT," said Searle.

Public service providers were having to live with downsizing which came from years of a "neverending, upward-looking, growing public sector", he added.

"It's all coming to a shuddering halt and people are having to come to terms with that going into reverse and now downsizing," said Searle.

Despite this, spending on contracted services, including shared services, as a percentage of the total IT budget increased in this financial year. Socitm believes that this is because IT functions appear to be playing a more strategic role than in previous years.

Glyn Evans, Socitm's president, said: "The influence of ICT continues to rise as more services are directly delivered through lower cost ICT assisted channels. Technology is also helping reduce accommodation costs as the workforce becomes more mobile.

"However, with greater dependence on ICT, organisations must ensure processes and procedures are kept up to date, and greater attention is paid to accuracy, provenance and security of information."