LOTI: Weeknote 50

Laying the groundwork for data

LOTI was established to help boroughs and the GLA collaborate to bring the best of data, digital and innovation to improve public services and outcomes for Londoners. The Covid-19 crisis has confirmed the importance of such collaboration and also highlighted the barriers that still stand in its way.

Building on our thinking around the role that data can play in post-Covid recovery (please see this blog post or the full recording is available here), at our latest Data Analysts’ virtual meet-up we presented our thinking on the need to work together to join-up London’s approach to data in a way that enables London boroughs and city government to:

1. Identify need by helping us understand different factors affecting vulnerability.
2. Design and deliver better public services by informing decisions, targeting our resources and coordinating our actions.
3. Improve policy-making by ensuring policies are based on evidence of what works, leading to actionable decisions.
4. Provide greater accountability by publishing data that makes our work more transparent.
5. Encourage innovation by releasing data that allows others to create useful products and services.
6. Increase knowledge and access by sharing data about London, its places, opportunities and people.

We set out what key steps the Greater London Authority (GLA) and boroughs may need to take to ensure data can be used to achieve these things — responsibly, legally, ethically and securely — for the benefit of all Londoners. The recommendations we made fell broadly under three themes:

1. Adopting technology and data standards
2. Developing a common approach to Information Governance
3. Building data skills

The full presentation is available here, but essentially, we were keen to illustrate why it was important for us to set out why we’d been doing what we’d been doing on data with this community. Mindful that there’s a difference in the way boroughs work and the methods they each apply, we set up the Data Analysts’ network to discuss: LOTI and GLA’s pan-London data collaboration projects, share common challenges and opportunities, and champion good practice such as the use of the London Datastore.

The boroughs who’ve joined our Data Analysts virtual meet-ups to date can share how having better visibility of initiatives impacting/benefitting multiple boroughs or awareness of who is doing what in each borough has helped to shape and clarify their own thinking. In addition to our presentation, colleagues from Ealing Council shared how they were using data and technology to identify vulnerable residents, and respond to developing needs in the community. You can catch up on what was discussed at the last meet-up by reading the slides or watching the full recording on YouTube.

Developing a Digital Data Protection Impact Assessment Tool

As some of our avid readers may know, we’ve been working with a group of interested stakeholders convened by Co-fund and Collaborate to Innovate (CC2i) to co-design and develop a digital approach/solution to Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA).

Through our Information Governance (IG) project, we found out how important DPIAs are to ensuring boroughs’ compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Some of the barriers identified with the current process are that it’s lengthy, paper-based, and makes it hard for service managers to work with their information governance leads to check projects are carried out correctly.

As well as better processes, one part of the solution is to create a better tool for forming DPIAs. Working with the Information Governance group for London (IGfL), we’ve been representing the London borough’s interests to ensure they can reap the benefits of digital working practices for their IG function.

Last week, we (LOTI and a representative from IGfL) met with the collaborative which includes Norfolk County Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Leeds City Council, Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership, to shape the future of the project.

Covid-19 Recovery

Councils right around the UK will have been busy over the last few days writing applications for funding to MHCLG’s Local Digital C-19 Challenge. Last week, we supported our member boroughs to explore six different ideas, of which five are likely to become fully-fledged bids. These cover areas including addressing data gaps that prevent councils from having visibility of residents in need; piloting the use of assistive technologies to support isolated individuals; and designing better ways of using digital tools to engage with the public.

These bids are complementary to LOTI’s wider work with boroughs on addressing vulnerability and promoting inclusion through the Covid Recovery period. More details will follow after the bid submission deadline on Wednesday.

Digital Apprenticeships Virtual Sessions

We’ve been working with our network of Digital Apprentices, their Managers and the Microsoft UK team to develop a forward plan for our virtual learning sessions in partnership to support the current cohort of Digital Apprentices in London boroughs.

We met with the Microsoft team, pulling together the current list of roles that Digital Apprentices are in, and the feedback we received from Managers about their needs to collate a programme of technical and complementary soft-skills sessions that we’ll be rolling out until the end of the year. This is currently being reviewed by the Digital Apprentices and their Managers and will be announced later in the week.

If you’re a Digital Apprentice and would like to access the videos or join the network, please contact Onyeka Onyekwelu via email.

This Week

This week, the LOTI Central Team will be:

1. Supporting LOTI boroughs’ bids for the MHCLG’s Local Digital Collaboration Unit C-19 challenge funding.
2. Holding our latest virtual meeting with our members.
3. Celebrating our first year in office!

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