Theme Two: Using technology and data to improve decision making, service design and efficiency
Manchester has embraced the opportunities of digital transformation and this will be a clear theme of our future savings requirements. The approach is set out in our Internal Digital Strategy for the Council, and the work done with partners to develop the External Digital Strategy for the whole city. An example of an action plan that flows from these strategies is our Digital Plan for the Corporate Core.
Manchester is using the opportunity of replacing key ICT systems to transform services and change how we use data to improve services for residents and the user experience for our workforce, improving their productivity. Current examples include the launch of our Residents and Businesses Digital Experience Programme (for example, automating many customer relationship management processes and an integration layer to better link key systems), a new contract management system, and the future launch of our new HR and Finance operating system in 2025.
Manchester is a leading Council in the use of quantitative and qualitative data and intelligence to inform decision making. This is demonstrated in our approach to public service reform, our COVID-19 support programme, and our Cost of Living response, in which small areas of the city with different demographic characteristics have been differentially targeted in the response.
Manchester’s approach to maximising the use of data is set out in our Data Management Strategy. We are already taking forward safe and resilient examples of utilising automation and artificial intelligence in a number of services. We make significant data publicly available through Open Data.