WebsEdge/Government is in Edinburgh this week for the newly revamped SOLACE Summit 2011. SOLACE has decided to do things differently this year and are holding what some have coined an ‘un-conference’. They are hosting five work-streams which are running in parallel and will address some of the key issues facing local government today. Each work-stream is designed to encourage debate and generate ideas and suggestions for the future of local government in the UK.

As always, WebsEdge/Government is at the heart of the action and will be producing SOLACE TV at the event. SOLACE TV will be a mix of interviews and coverage of the Summit keeping participants (the new term for delegates) informed about how each workstream is developing.

We’ve worked with WRVS and Bracknell Forest Council this year to produce two excellent films related to two of the propositions. Read about the propositions here.



You can watch the films, and all of our content on the Local Government Channel, on the SOLACE website, or on the new SOLACE TV YouTube channel. Enjoy!

You can follow the action, too. Just follow @websedge_gov on Twitter and we’ll keep you up-to-date with developments as they happen. 

Stay tuned, and as always, let us know what you think.

The WebsEdge Team

It’s a beautiful day here in Washington D.C. And an exciting one too. Because it’s the start of a packed digital mission organized by Chinwag. And WebsEdge is very proud to be coming along.

It’s quite an agenda. We’re meeting with government bodies at both a local and federal level to find out a little more about what their challenges are. And hopefully what we can do to help.

Now given we have an office here – in beautiful Georgetown – I’ve been thinking a little about government communications on both sides of the ‘pond’. At WebsEdge we’ve worked with about a hundred city governments here in the US – both large and small – and a similar number of local authorities back in England.

On the surface there are quite some differences. Just look at the funding mechanisms. But I’ve really been drawn to the similarities as well. On both sides of the Atlantic local government suffers from an image problem.  And the reality is that it’s getting worse. Whilst people value the services offered they don’t always rate the service provider very highly.

Which is a shame. Because the reality is that towns and cities are providing excellent public services that also provide good value for money. And those are the stories WebsEdge has helped to tell through The Local Government Channel, ICMA tv and now IAFC tv as well.

So we’re all set for a busy week. Lots to learn, new people to meet and, who knows, the odd cold beer along the way!

Follow all the action on Twitter:

@digitalmission

@stephenjhorn

@WebsEdgeTV

#dm2dc

Coming back this autumn from the International City and County Managers Association Conference in San Jose was a good opportunity to look at the challenges facing community leaders on both sides of the Atlantic.

WebsEdge/Government produced a series of programmes for both the ICMA and Britain’s LGA earlier in the summer. We interviewed a wide variety of politicians and community leaders and visited towns and cities throughout the two countries. There were clear similarities of approach to the problems caused by the global economic slowdown but there also some significant differences in emphasis.

In America it’s fair to say the harsh economic climate has been a reality longer as far as local government is concerned. Cities get a chunk of their funding from states and that has been cut back in recent years. So there’s a feeling that to some extent they have weathered the storm. They have made the necessary cuts to spending and are in better shape for the upturn when it comes. Whilst in England we’ve just had the Government’s Spending Review, which heralds substantial cutbacks to council grants. And whilst plans have been drawn up there is a distinct feeling of unease in town halls throughout the country.

The big worry in the United States is unemployment. At 9.5 % of the population it has remained stubbornly high. That has a profound effect on city government – both from a financial and a community cohesion point of view. So the focus now is on creating jobs.

As with many other facets of the relationship between the two countries there is more that unites us than divides us! There is a big emphasis in both the UK and US on professional management in town halls. If we can recruit, train and motivate the best minds into local service we’ll do the best we can for our citizens.

There’s also a focus on community. It goes under different names, ‘total place’ ‘big society’ and many others. But the sense is the same. If we coordinate the efforts of the entire public and voluntary sectors we can eliminate waste and provide better and more efficient services. What started out as a response to financial hardship has become a clarion call for better services and community engagement. And you never know, it may just work!

Right now everyone we talk to is waiting for the emergency budget later this month. And in the public sector they’re bracing themselves for cuts that will surely come. Some commentators are looking for job cuts of around 15% so the public sector can share the pain that the private sector has already endured.

And yes of course over time we need to reduce the budget deficit. And yes of course as an entrepreneur I want to see imaginative ways of doing it. But what bothers me is that it is easy in all this to miss the point and not to appreciate the real value frontline workers bring.

And sometimes if you’re looking for inspiration the public sector is, some would think surprisingly, often the place to come. Let me give you a couple of examples. We’re just finishing filming – alongside the LGA – the first ever local government challenge. It’s an attempt at finding the local government leaders of the future.

Two teams of six battle it out on a series of challenges to find out who is fired and who is hired – a format that might be familiar to some of you. At the last challenge – one to revamp shops on a busy high street – the young people were discussing late into the night the best ways to bring that community to life. Real passion and real commitment, and it’s in the public sector.

And this is also the time to vote for your council worker of the year – www.localgovernmentchannel.com/awards. This year we’re running six categories and again we’re looking for frontline workers who go over and above the call of duty on a daily basis. Just take a look at the finalists and tell me they don’t inspire you! And it has caught the public imagination too with literally hundreds of thousands of visits to the voting page.

And whilst I can’t reveal the winners yet I can tell you about the winner of last year’s Bravery category – Barry from Mansfield. Barry is a street cleaner who put out a fire in a petrol station saving many lives. A real unsung hero and a good friend of ours. So yes lets talk about cuts to the public sector but if we ever lose sight of the contribution that Barry and his colleagues make to our society then whatever money is saved our lives will still be all the poorer.

What a night for television audiences. I think some 20 million people tuned in to watch the final of this year’s X Factor and what a finale it was with the favourite Joe McElderry taking the honours.

Right now the Local Government Channel is involved in its own talent search. We’ve teamed up with the Local Government Association to run the Local Government Leadership Challenge.

Based very loosely on the concept of the Apprentice, ok I’ve got my shows a little mixed up here, the idea is to set two teams of individuals from councils throughout the country a number of challenges to revitalise their communities. There are various of these ranging from promoting local libraries and other services to giving a boost to the local high street.

And we’ve got off to a flying start. The contestants have been chosen, the challenges set and everything kicks off in January. We’re going to be filming every one of them and posting the results on our web site. So be sure to tune in to see how the candidates are getting on.

A little light hearted but with a very serious message. Our attention is often drawn to high profile talents on a national and international stage. But very often there’s some excellent work being done on our own doorsteps and it is high time we recognised it!

So how did you watch the television coverage of “Super Tuesday”? I have to admit I was riveted to ABC News but not on a television as in previous years but on-line. The quality and reliability of the transmission really took me aback.

The excitement surrounding this election is clearly intense. Senators Clinton and Obama are going head to head and right now there is no way of knowing who is going to win. And Americans are witnessing history in the making with the first woman and African American man running for the Oval Office.

This election year it’s about staying informed and in tune with the positions your candidates stand for - and online video is a critical tool to help keep up with the latest topics around the election. I am inspired by their methods of engagement and will be dedicating several posts over the coming months to highlight what role online video plays during the upcoming presidential election.

The way I see it, IPTV enables political action: it allows communities to become better informed and it opens channels of communications to discuss what’s happening at both a local and national level. That’s why WebsEdge created the Local Government Channel, to help educate communities on local government issues that affect them.

As the election ramps up, there is an invaluable opportunity for online sources to get the message across using IPTV. Over the next several months, I will share my insight on solid examples of how the candidates are utilizing online video to help boost their campaigns within various communities. In the meantime, take a look at what CSPAN has for online election coverage. I think that once you’ve reviewed the site, you’ll feel inspired to stay connected and engaged to learn about issues each candidate is highlighting in their campaign.