Citizen convenience:

UK problems and solutions

Mark Napier

The Centre for Public Innovation

Learning goals

1. Set out the problems that the UK has delivering innovative, citizen centred services.

2. Explore a possible solution that could be adopted in South Africa which has been developed by CPI.

The UK and innovation

The UK public sector is starting to explore the need to innovate:• Creation of a Ministry (Department for Innovation,

Universities and Skills) in 2007;• National conferences;• Publication of a UK government strategy for the

public sector – “Innovation Nation”.

But progress is painful and slow.

Service development in the UK

Service development in the UK is usually characterised by procedural compliance.

The service development process looks like:

Problem Data

collection

Analysis Reporting

Decision-

making

PlanningDelivery!

HealthTransport

CrimeEducation

Employment Housing

Problems with this approach

• Directed from the top/by professionals;• Expensive (time, staff, resources);• Slow;• Unresponsive;• “Doomed to succeed”.

Where is the citizen in this process?

UK service development is contrary to a citizen focused approach.

Developing citizen centred services

• Allow the community to explore and express issues;• Be aware of the language that the community uses

(i.e. non-technical);• Foster dialogue between front-line staff and the

community;• Front-line staff are your nearest proxy to a community

voice where there are no formal channels;• Front-line staff can re-conceptualise the problem in

terms of service delivery;• Community and front-line staff are equal partners; • So listen to citizens and your front-line workforce.

The results of engagement

Citizens Front-line staff

Innovative new practices

In practice

1. Identify a problem.

2. Identify an idea that will work better.

3. Put this into practice quickly and inexpensively to test the new idea.

Some learning

• Staff must be given permission to innovate by their line-managers.

• Staff must have senior management approval.• All staff must be encouraged to innovate.• It is not the work of experts or specialists.

Innovation in action: a case study

The Government Office for the South West

Responsible for co-ordinating central

government functions in the

region (health, police etc.)• Population of 5 mill.• Highest rural population in UK

• Largest urban centre ½ mill. • High unemployment• Isolated communities

London

Tackling a problem

The Government Office sought to tackle anti-social behaviour across the regionAdopted the three step model1. Problem; 2. Possible solution; 3. Quick pilot

• Grant budget £60,000 sterling (approx R940,000);• Individual grants of up to £2,000 (R31,400);• Advertised to community workers;• 29 projects financed and started;• Projects co-delivered by professionals and

members of the community.

Results?

• Set up lunch club for vulnerable elderly people;• Migrant families integrated into local community; • Creation of a youth council;• Young men engaged in safer driver campaign;• Diversionary activities for drug users;• Media project for young people around gun crime; • Significant local media exposure;• All set up with the community in under 3 months.

The impact

• Services and solutions created that responded to local problems that had been identified by local people;

• Citizens engaged in design and delivery of solutions;• Allowed scope for innovation;• Rapid response to citizen’s concerns;• Cheap!

Thank you

Any questions?

The Centre for Public Innovation

London, UK

t: +44 20 7922 7823

f: +44 20 7922 7821

w: Mark.napier@publicinnovation.org.uk

e: www.publicinnovation.org.uk