Content that is currently hidden from the public must be made visible in the most useful way.
All portfolios/directorates should be on the constant lookout for things to make usefully visible to the public, to help citizens understand and help the staff to make the community better.
The design guidelines that apply to the website should include recommendations on the use of visualisation techniques including:
Providing discussion and petition facilities can divert citizen frustration into productive channels. Angry citizens to vent frustration while at the same time those with valid and common concerns can attract a core of support. There can also be a process of natural modifications to the proposal in the informal stage before it gets taken forward.
Each discussion and petition is an opportunity for elected members to listen to the concerns of the citizens and to channel the discussion into an appropriate channel such as a formal petition or an online surgery.
Local Authorities need to be environments where young, talented people can learn and exercise their skills.
There is a business axiom that states that any organisation is only as good as its people. In order for Local Authorities to stay energetic and innovative, they must compete with other areas of industry in order to attract the best, most skilled staff. Thus the organisation must as a minimum: allow and encourage such staff to use the technical resources and techniques they are skilled in; develop a culture in which new skills in communication, facilitation, creative thinking and group working are respected; and present an environment in which learning, which now often involves access to online video resources, is enabled and encouraged.
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