Competing councils form a collaborative alliance

The UK Government's Digital Challenge is fostering an interesting mix of competition and collaboration among public bodies. As I wrote recently, the Government is offering a prize of several million, plus industry support, for plans to improve online public service delivery while also engaging those not using the Net. Ideas can range from area-wide high-speed wifi to digital storytelling.

The competition is now down to 10 finalists, but as Dave Carter reports on the One-Manchester blog, they and others have decided to set up a national collaboration network at a recent get-together:

Everyone who attended endorsed the idea of continued collaboration and all 10 have contributed to an exchange of experience ‘matrix’ which lists the main areas that each of the partnerships are interested in, what they want to learn from the network and what they can contribute to the network.

The idea is that instead of just having a one winner, the DC-10 will continue to collaborate to develop area demonstrations to inspire others. Apart from the general benefits of collaboration, this could help with industry partnerships. All the bidders have to show private sector collaboration ... but industry may be wary if they have a one in ten chance of getting both publicity and sound investment opportunities. If they know that whoever wins there are likely to be opportunities, it should be more enticing.

Of course, the line "we didn't win ... but we are all helping each other" may not play so well with community groups and other local partners who might expect to benefit. However, there may be financial hope for the "losers" too - because the DC-10 aim to pull in additional resources.

The meeting also considered a "Digital Challenge Discussion Paper" highlighting ways in which the network could secure additional support, and even financial resources, for collaborative work. All DC10 partnerships support the idea that Digital Challenge should not just be “one winner, nine losers” but rather one national exemplar and ten ‘winners’ working together to take digital inclusion forward on the basis of a collaborative platform which could become a networked national ‘test bed’ for “inclusion through innovation”.

As part of this a number of the partnerships are talking to Ministers, MPs and other key decision makers to rally support for this idea. Already there has been very positive feedback from discussion in Manchester at the end of September and it is hoped that this will continue.

I have a pretty positive view of the Digital Challenge initiative because I like the idea that, as well as a competion, it's aim is to share experience among anyone else beyond the 10 who may be interested. As Michael Cross wrote in The Guardian: "It marks a shift away from a relentless quest for efficiency gains and into something creative." I also have to declare a further interest, because my colleague Drew Mackie and I have funding from the initiative to develop an engagement game, about which more here.

However, if there's one area in which creativity might be applied more visible, it is in the use of social media by the finalists. Apart from the blogs of Manchester and Bristol I couldn't see that any of the other finalists had an interactive web site of any interest. The Bristol site has been going so well - with a range of contributors - that they are running a blogging skills exchange.

I expect that part of the problem is that the bids are being developed by council officers who have other jobs to do, who don't have blogging skills, and are under pressure to do all the internal work necessary on the bid. But as Bristol has shown, one way to deal with that - even if you do have the skills - is to invite your partners and enthusiasts in to help. Engagement and inclusion are about attitude and culture, as much as special resources and projects. Ironically it is the councils who manage this without extra funds who, in my view, most deserve to win. Just being a little challenging here:-)