The roots of e-Government work in Norfolk go back to 1994 and work on the impact of the Information Economy in Norfolk. A public sector partnership was established by Norwich City Council including Norfolk County Council, the University of East Anglia, and City College to bid for EU Fourth Framework projects to speed up the benefits of the use of ICT and the internet in the county. This was successful in getting two significant EU funded projects including the European Telematics Observatory. Since then the same core members have managed to get more than a dozen major EU funded ICT or e-Government projects supported.

The group was expanded to bring in major private sector bodies, under the chairmanship of the then head of ICT for Norwich Union, to help specify use of ICT in what became the Forum Landmark Lottery project. This included the key role of e-Learning, public access terminals, and a proto one stop shop approach to service delivery, and members of the team then went on to develop the People’s Network roll out in libraries and the University for Industry hub for e-learning in the county.

The needs analysis, high level business case and core action plan document from this group is available in paper form. Elements were incorporated into the Norwich Economic Development Strategy.

The City and County Councils, City College, UEA and private sector partners also established the regional East of England Telematics Development Trust to pick up more regional strategic issues. This joint public/private sector organisation has been chaired by someone from the county since its inception.

In 1996 the Norfolk Telematics group was built into the Shaping the Future economic partnership as a sub group and its remit and membership expanded across the county.

At the same time all councils in Norfolk bought into a shared internet site development template via tagish ltd – partly funded by the EU – which meant that all the sites had the same structure and there was a joint a-z of services to allow people to get to the information they needed regardless of who provided it.

Also in 1996 the first proposals for Norwich Connect and the transformation of services via ICT were agreed by the City Council.

In the same year (but after those developments had been agreed) the “government.direct” green paper was published.

1998 – Start of Single Points of Access (later CIC) programme. As part of the Improved Status Quo work following the Local Government Review (which includes the protocol for three tier working) two trial joint one stop shops were established between Broadland District Council and Norfolk County Council in libraries in Wroxham and Aylsham. These formed the template for further One Stop Shops in Fakenham (with North Norfolk), Downham Market (with Kings Lynn and West Norfolk) and Gorleston (with Great Yarmouth Borough Council). An officer was seconded from Norwich City Council to run these projects and ensure consistency of service delivery across all centres based on core sla’s. The Norfolk Connect Partnership was established to oversee the work and included all local authorities and other agencies such as police, voluntary sector etc.

1996 Aylsham and Wroxham Council Information Centres (CICs) launched in libraries as a pilot project between Norfolk County Council and Broadland District Council

1998 Discussions start between Norfolk County Council and District councils about a programme to establish single points of access through the Norfolk Connect Partnership

1998 Aylsham and Wroxham CICs put on a permanent footing

March 1999 – Modernising Government White Paper – objectives are 100% of services online by 2005 and joined up access for customers. Norfolk Connect’s work was extended to include e-Government and this was co-ordinated with work under Shaping the Future and work at a regional level with the same officer being responsible for all of these. This included liaison with the Norwich Connect project to make sure lessons from that work could be disseminated and linked wherever possible.

January 2000 Downham Market Connect opens in The Priory Centre

August 2000 – Revision of the strategy and action plan by the Shaping the Future Telematics group for the next five years of activity. This included some elements of e-Government – especially the opportunity to use public sector investment in ICT as a spur to the market, and the role of the public sector via schools, colleges, adult education and libraries to enhance e-skills in the county.

September 2000 Fakenham Connect opens in shared building – partnership between three tiers of local government

2000 - First wave LPSA includes target for Norfolk County Council to deliver BVPI 157 compliance a year early and agreement for PFI credits to support e-Government within Norfolk County Council including a customer contact centre delivered via NCC’s existing strategic partnership with Capita.

Jan 2001 - First discussions about NCC change programme with Capita

April 2001 – Draft agreement on SPA future development reached with all parties. This includes links with the voluntary sector and ways in which this can link with things like the joint Norfolk local authority sla with the CAB on service delivery.

May 2001 – e-Government Metadata Framework and Interoperability Framework. This raised issues about the way in which we delivered joined up websites at the time when councils in Norfolk were looking to refresh the technology powering their internet services and finding alternatives to the tagish service.

July 18 2001 Agreement by Norfolk CEX on NCP work:

There are five elements where we could usefully work together rather than searching for solutions separately. These are:

• Data sharing, including NLIS, NLPG, Rolling Electoral Register and legal issues around Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation (including options for drawing down money to improve databases on the basis of Search fees)
• Developing life episodes – based on national work being done by the LEAP project, UK Online and Government Gateway
• Improving telephone services to answer simple questions on behalf of other authorities and transfer calls without redialing
• Developing training for front line staff in delivering joined up services
• Planning the pattern of future physical service delivery via one stop shops

October 2001 – Start of joint Best Value Review of Service Delivery in market Towns. This looked again at the core concepts in the Single Point of Access programme to validate them against research and consultation with customers on their needs across all channels and to identify efficiency savings from a joint approach to face to face service. Partners in the review were South Norfolk and Breckland as well as NCC.

February 2002 – Major internal research within NCC to identify service transaction volumes and how service requests were resolved – including requests for third party services. This was fed into the PFI business plan preparation with Capita as well as the Market Town Best Value review.

April 2002 – Better Public Services through e-Government – objectives better use of information, improved customer access, internal process re-engineering and VFM in procurement

May 2002 First version of Norfolk County Council’s Contact Strategy developed by Capita and approved by Cabinet

July 2002 Districts & County Council’s Join up Workshop – Start shaping strategy for what a joined-up service could look like and what services joint access points (“one stop shops”) could deliver

15 July 2002 – NCC Cabinet approve adopting the proposed principles for selecting the Change Programme

August 2002 Norfolk’s Chief Executives agree recommendations put forward after joint workshop. It is agreed that the project for joint access points should be developed further

September 2002 – Best Value Review published including summary of research on customer needs. This concluded that the initial priority locations for one stop shops (at this point called Norfolk Connect points with joint branding) were the major centres of population where there was most footfall. This meant Norwich was targeted as the next CIC location with others being planned for Kings Lynn and Dereham. The review – which was based on extensive secondary as well as primary research – also identified the need for a channels strategy which linked phone, face to face and internet and how local government could work together to deliver government services.

September 2002 – NCC e-Gov programme agreed encompassing the replacement of critical information systems, renewal of basic ICT infrastructure, delivery of other priority projects and a contact centre to the level of 500,000 calls per annum. Discussions were continued with district councils and others on the potential for joint work with the initial conclusion that only face to face and internet were possible at that time because of a range of contractual issues.

September 2002 – Government Channels Strategy Published. Norfolk County Council was represented on the national steering group which developed this.

October 2002 – Submission of bid including business case, PID, and structure, to ODPM for funding for Portal and Business Case development. This followed from conclusions jointly reached during the Market Town Best Value review and discussion of NCC’s e-Gov programme around a replacement for the existing tagish joint web service.

14 October 2002– NCC Cabinet approve invitation to negotiate with Capita for PFI route

November 2002 – draft legal agreement on joint working via Norfolk Connect.

18 November 2002 – NCC Cabinet informed that NCC could not use PFI credits for the change programme, Cabinet request a Gartner evaluation of a different Capita proposal and an evaluation of other options the Authority might take

December 2002 – joint evaluation of SPA’s and agreement to develop the CIC programme as a result of the Market Town best value review and the research surrounding that.

November 2002 – National Strategy for local e-Government – objectives are more joined up access 24/7 and delivery in a cost effective way

February 2003 – IDeA report including aims and objectives for partnership and spec of second wave funding projects. This set out the key objectives and principals for joint working on e-Government (add in here from documents – all don’t have to play, won’t go at speed of slowest – they can join in later, it’s about those areas where people don’t know where to go and improved customer experience, do it in a VFM way, core is joint info to support service delivery by whatever channel, brand services at point of delivery including co-branding at CIC’s but no joint brand for NCP work.)

The NCP aims to bring all of the authorities together to

• Share information, knowledge and experience on their efforts to implement e-government
• Agree joint projects that offer mutual benefits and opportunities for better joining up customer services
• Prepare joint bids for funding
• Create a forum in which the authorities can work to ensure that wherever feasible and sensible the ‘customer experience’ in Norfolk is convenient, reliable, equitable, personalised, efficient and effective and delivered through access channels that offer the customer maximum choice and flexibility.

The specific objectives of the NCP are to work collaboratively to:

• Improve customer access to information and services in Norfolk at the ‘front end’ of service delivery
• Ensure that customers receive an equitable and efficient response to their initial contact or enquiry in order to deliver the most effective outcome
• Deliver services and support to meet customer requests in a reliable, equitable, economic, efficient and effective way
• Add value to the customer experience wherever possible

Ensure, wherever possible, that e-government in Norfolk is developed in line with nationally or locally derived standards.

Like other partnerships between the Norfolk authorities, the NCP is keen to ensure that it adheres to the already established ‘guiding principles’ set out in the document, ‘Code of Practice for Three Tier Partnership Working in Norfolk’. These are:

• In all issues that involve partnership working, all of the relevant partner authorities, and their members, should be included in the process at the earliest possible opportunity
• Ongoing partnership mechanisms should be established and maintained in a way which allows issues of joint concern to be addressed in a timely and, therefore, proactive way.
• All local authorities in Norfolk should foster a culture within their organisation that recognises the importance and advantages of working in partnership.
• Each partner should recognise, and take account of, the resource implications of promoting, developing and maintaining partnership working initiatives.

In adhering to this Code of Practice, the NCP recognises, and aims to maintain and enhance, the continuing partnership between County, District, Town and Parish Councils, e.g. consultation and close working with Town and Parish Councils will be a key feature of all planned NCP projects on e-government.

In order to further its partnership working on e-government matters, the NCP has established an additional set of specific principles to which each authority (and any future partner organisations) will adhere. The principles reflect both the strong overall commitment to partnership working amongst the Norfolk authorities (agreed as essential) and the flexibility inherent within each individual project (to allow individual authorities options about participation).

The agreed principles are:

• The partnership is one of choice rather than necessity.
• Trust, equality and co-operation are key to the success of the partnership and the focus is on how best to achieve success rather than identifying why it cannot be achieved.
• The partnership will aim for consensus and 100% commitment whilst recognising that for all authorities there is a difficult balance to be struck between:
• Individual accountabilities and the benefits of cross-agency working.
• Working to produce ‘seamless services’ and the importance of individual authority ‘branding’.
• Working to protect the confidentialities in place with existing contractors/suppliers and providing more open access to knowledge and information for joint service development.
• Wherever possible, the NCP will not establish any unnecessary business or decision-making structures that duplicate those already available.
• Whilst key decisions will be taken collectively under the NCP umbrella, the partnership will provide sufficient flexibility to ensure that the sovereignty of each authority is paramount – this will include no compulsion for authorities to ‘sign up’ to every NCP project; the speed and rate of progress in introducing ICT to be controlled by individual authorities; flexibility for all authorities to enter into e-government partnerships outside of the NCP (e.g. with districts outside the County, private/voluntary sector agencies or in sub-regional clusters). However, if projects are developed outside the partnership, it would still be the intention for NCP to receive regular updates to identify added value links to collaborative work.
• Wherever feasible and sensible, the NCP will work to ensure that ‘leading’ and ‘lagging’ authorities in any particular technological area work in concert to bring all partners ‘up to speed’ and ensure Norfolk-wide improvement. This will include a large investment in sharing knowledge and learning and choosing the best council to lead specific projects wherever appropriate.
• When considering new investments and/or change initiatives around joining up service delivery or improving customer access, each partner will consider the opportunities for collaborating through the NCP and, as a minimum, share all appropriate information about its plans.
• All NCP projects should demonstrably ‘add value’, i.e. they should not just be an extension of already planned work in individual authorities, but, through collaboration, should add more than the sum of their parts (e.g. through economies of scale or increased customer benefits).
• Each authority accepts that the costs and benefits of collaboration should be viewed across the full range of NCP activities rather than on a project by project basis – net benefits will not necessarily accrue to each authority on every project and costs may need to be viewed on the basis of a ‘whole of Norfolk’ account.
• The best people for the job will manage individual projects. This may be personnel from a lead authority, managers from more than one authority or externally recruited specialists. Wherever possible, the NCP will seek to minimise the reliance on managers who already have a full and committed ‘day job’.
• Projects must address real needs, rather than be driven solely by the availability of technology or funding - wherever possible they should focus on common problem areas for the participating authorities, e.g. crime reduction, hospital discharge, eradication of fraud, child protection or improving services to older or disabled people, where a collaborative response to likely to produce greater benefits than the efforts of individual organisations.
• Awareness-raising, inclusion and consultation will be crucial within and outside of the partner authorities – the aim will be to ‘mainstream’ e-government plans, projects and terminology alongside regular service delivery so that stakeholders understand the rationale and anticipated benefits of e-government projects.

Over time, the membership will expand to include other agencies that are willing to commit to the aims, objectives and principles of the NCP. This could include Parish and Town Councils, the voluntary or private sector or other public service organisations, e.g. police, health, learning and business support.

19 February 2003 Norfolk e-Champions Group receive confidential paper detailing NCC’s likely plans for e-Government (not yet approved by Members). Alan Tidmarsh (NCC e-Champion) said that some plans might provide opportunity to work closely with interested Districts. It was agreed that authorities would discuss aspects where they wanted to proceed on a joint working basis at the next meeting.

February 2003 - Letter to CEX seeking agreement for NCP and explaining links to NCC’s work inviting offers of joint working on CSC, Voice and Data etc

10 march 2003– Agreement of shape of NCC revised e-Government programme by Cabinet.– Cabinet decide to take an in-house route to delivering the e-Government programme

25 March 2003 Norfolk e-Champions Group – discussion of joint working did not recommend joint work on customer service centres.

April 2003 – Norfolk Ambition - l Norfolk is highly creative at using different communications media to empower people, connecting them to local politicians and providing feedback on decision making.

June 2003 – NCP agreement signed by Partners – joint objectives and how we work together based on the IDeA report.

July 2003 – Phase two projects agreed by ODPM and funding secured.

August 2003 – Protocol for sharing information information agreed between all partners including joint trust statement.

September 2003 – Partnership Breakthrough workshop to work on how we can best work together to achieve common aims. Taken forward by a number of partners through joint projects for shared service centres in Great Yarmouth and Kings Lynn.

October 2003 – National Procurement Strategy published.

November 2003 –Joint Districts & Council workshop - Marketing plan for Council Information Centres launched

November 2003 – a number of “joint” processes are process mapped for service improvement and e-forms

2003 Norfolk portal goes live as search solution on internet site – public can now search NCC site and district councils and police website from our website. Recommended links make it easy to highlight relevant information e.g. search for childminder or childcare take you to the childcare information service

January 2004 Partnership breakthrough workshop with Audit Commission and NCP review document.

February 2004 – Way Forward document (e.g. post LGOL funding) agreed by NCP and Norfolk CEX suggests the further work which is needed to:

• Achieve relevant areas of the Norfolk Ambition draft action plan
• Achieve some of the ODPM Priority Objectives in a cost effective way
• Achieve customer service benefits via joined up access. A key criteria for joint work is that it should add value by sharing (and potentially saving) costs which would otherwise have to be borne separately by authorities.

March 2004 – Project benefits summary produced for LGOL funded work.

April 2004 – Priority Outcomes announced by ODPM. NCP agrees joint work on these and getting the benefit from LGOL funded and other joint projects is the priority area of activity for the next year.

March 2004 NCCCabinet agrees Norfolk County Council’s updated contact strategy including the programme for new/relaunched CICs

May 2004 Norwich CIC launched

June 2004 – CEX NCP Medium Term plan report agreed on way forward for NCP.

June 2004 – Local Vision on Future of Local Government published.

July 2004 – Gershon review published

July 2004 – Joint Contact Strategy audit including update of customer need research started based on core elements NCC’s Contact Strategy research and joint activity.

July 2004 Gorleston CIC launched

August 2004 – LGOL end project report including achievement against planned outcomes

September 2004 Fakenham, Aylsham and Wroxham CICs relaunched

October 2004 Downham CIC relaunched

October 2004 Norfolk Police joins the partnership. Police Information Point is launched in Gorleston CIC on six month trial basis.

November 2004 – Joint Customer Care and Information gap strategies agreed

December 2004 – Future direction paper agreed by NCP and CEX.

May 2005 – Future work business cases drafted. Includes some opportunistic externally funded projects which fit the overall agreed objectives and direction

May 2005 – scope of joint marketing work agreed linked to e-Citizen. This is continuing via the joint work on the national local e-government take up and marketing campaign

July 2005 - Opera carry out mystery shopping exercise evaluating progress in customer service on all three channels from 2003 (before the Norfolk Portal and other NCP products were in place). Shows significant improvement in every channel. Although carried out on behalf of Norfolk County Council it tested CIC's and district as well as county service scenarios including hand off.

July 2005 Norfolk Police launches Police Information Points in Downham Market, Fakenham, Wroxham (and agrees to be a partner in all future CICs launched)

2005 NCC Content management system goes live – NCC staff can now easily update web content using MS Word, automatic reviewing, reminders to check content after 6 months, and expiry if content is not updated in 12 months improves quality and timeliness of website.

2005 Consultation Finder – public can search for consultations by theme or location on a joint website. Many agencies and councils in Norfolk list consultations.

2005 First email subscription service added to the NCC and Norwich City websites

August 2005 – Norfolk Connect workload agreed.

Diss CIC opens

October 2005 Southern Norfolk Primary Care Trust joins partnership

November 2005 Dereham CIC opens

2006 Joint A-Z goes live – Public can now find services from all Norfolk councils in a single A-Z with direct links to the relevant information on the right council website. Public no longer need to know which council provides which service.

2006 Local direct gov goes live – public can now directly reach relevant information on Norfolk County Council site from national www.direct.gov.uk website.

March 2006 – Format for draft NCP future business case circulated to develop next stage projects

April 2006 – joint Digital Challenge workshop and bid under the auspuices of Norfolk Ambition.

January 2007 Planned opening date for King’s Lynn Council Information Centre after substantial renovations to King’s Court

Externally Funded Projects

Partnership members (including those in the STF Telematics group) have led on the following externally funded projects since 1995 which have repirted into the Norfolk Connect Partnership on progress: EU: Telematics Observatory, e-Sign UK Government: Norfolk Millennium Landmark project (the Forum), UFI hub, development of the regional schools broadband consortium, esd toolkit, Norfolk Connect LGOL projects, LGOL Regional Partnership project, People’s Network, SUPER Consumer, South and North Norfolk ISB projects to get parishes and community groups online, Norwich Connect PFI, Norfolk Open Link wireless broadband project, Local CHS, Norfolk Heritage Explorer, e-Citizen Partnership members have participated in the following externally funded projects: EU: SUPER, STAR, e-Voice, LoG-IN, BIRD, Fens Rural Pathfinder, Citizen First UK Government: e-Democracy, e-Admissions, e-Trading Standards, ENCORE national projects, Local Direct Gov, Promoting Electronic Government, Open For Business, whatever the ISB on joined up business services was called, My Guide, ICT for Voluntary Sector, NeSDS.

2. Individual Council Information Centres

Aylsham and Wroxham

The project arose as a response to Local Government Review and the need to work more effectively between tiers of local government. It also provided a response to the pressure for the library service in budget reductions and to attract more users into the libraries. Both had pilot status for 1 year, extended to two years. During the second year commitments were made to formalise and make the Centres a permanent feature of Norfolk County Council’s and Broadland District Council’s face to face operations. Both Centres were rebranded and relaunched in September 2004. Norfolk Police joined the partnership in August 2005. A Police Information Point was established in Wroxham only because of space and privacy issues in Aylsham Library, and the fact that the post office across the road is interested in hosting a Police Information Point.

Fakenham

Fakenham Connect, a joint information access point and partnership between NCC, North Norfolk District Council and Fakenham Town Council, was opened in September 2000, when a new home was sought for both town and district councils when it emerged that town hall was not complaint with disability access regulations. The building, owned by NCC (formerly a youth centre) was adapted in 2000 to house the Town Council, housing offices for the District Council, Registration services and a joint information access point. Fakenham Connect was relaunched in October 2004 as a Council Information Centre (improved signage, improved training, publicity etc). Norfolk Police joined the partnership in August 2005.

Downham Market

The Priory Centre is a jointly funded project and was built in 2000 to accommodate a new library, District council offices, further education college, tourist information Office as well as “Downham Market Connect” – the single information access point. It was a partnership between NCC, the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk and the College of West Anglia. After some structural work to make it more accessible and use existing space more effectively after the Tourist Information Office moved out, Downham Market Connect was relaunced as a Council Information Centre in October 2004. Norfolk Police joined the partnership in August 2005.

Norwich

Discussions started in January 2003 between Norfolk County Council and Norwich City Council to establish a single multi-agency access point in Norwich. The Millennium Library in the Forum was identified as a good location after Norwich ruled out a joint one stop shop in City Hall. Through the Norfolk Connect Partnership the other district councils indicated that they would like to be involved to offer a single access point for all the citizens of Norfolk. The CIC was established on the ground floor in a style compatible with the rest of the building. Norwich City Council withdrew from the partnership to focus on the one-stop-shop service point for Norwich’s citizens in City Hall instead. The CIC was completed and staff appointed in January 2004. It officially launched in May 2004 as a partnership arrangement between NCC, South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Council. Due to the location of the CIC a substantial number of enquiries is however handled on behalf of other non-contributing partners.

Gorleston

Structural work was carried out in late 2003 to establish both a Council Information Centre and a cash office (which shut elsewhere in the town when a lease ran out) in Gorleston library. Construction work was completed and staff appointed in January 2004, and the centre was formally launched in July 2004. It is a partnership arrangement with Great Yarmouth Borough Council and very active a local volunteer group, Community Connections. It was selected by Norfolk Police to establish a Police Information point in October 2004 on a trial basis, which was very successful and led to the Police establishing information and service points in CICs across Norfolk.

Diss

A Council Information Centre was established in the historic town council building in the heart of Diss, which already had a high number of visitors as the very active town council runs a large number of local services. The CIC opened in August 2005 and is a partnership arrangement between NCC, Diss Town Council, South Norfolk Council and Norfolk Police. Dereham In 2002 discussions commenced between NCC and Breckland District Council to establish a CIC in the new library planned for Dereham. Breckland District Council withdrew because of the development of a face-to-face facility for district services at the new Peddars Way housing estate. However, Breckland decided to rejoin the partnership shortly before the CIC opened, which means that it could deliver truly joined up services from day one onwards. It is a partnership between Norfolk County Council, Breckland District Council, Dereham Town Council, Norfolk Police and the Southern Norfolk Primary Care Trust.

King’s Lynn

A new Council Information Centre will open in early 2007, when substantial renovation works to King’s Court, the District Council’s in the middle of the town centre, have been completed. This will provide a modern, building society style walk-in access point for the public. It will be a partnership arrangement between NCC, King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council, Norfolk Police and the West Norfolk Voluntary Association.

North Walsham

A CIC for North Walsham is currently in the project plan although no final location has been agreed (town council offices / library). Partners will include Norfolk County Council, North Norfolk District Council, North Walsham Town Council and Norfolk Police.

3. Governance

• The Norfolk Connect Partnership acts as Project Board and has ultimate governance over strategic matters. Norfolk County Council’s CIC Project Manager delivers regular six-monthly updates on initiatives, new services and usage figures. Any issues which have major implications for service delivery are also presented to the Norfolk Connect Partnership.
• Prior to opening each CIC has a set-up group, consisting of partners, members, stakeholders and staff. Regular meetings take place (minutes are available).
• After set-up each CIC has an operational management team which meets monthly. Unless there are strategically important issues (where agendas/minutes are available) representatives from each partner organisation usually attend the monthly team meeting, where regular operational matters are discussed and information disseminated.