Talking 5 with Local Public Services Member Mantralis
Each month, techUK's Associate Director for Local Public Services, Georgina Maratheftis, interviews a member active in the local government space about their vision for the future of local public services and where digital can make a real difference to people and society. This month we talk with Jennie Bayliss from Mantralis, about the role that digital plays in the social economy.
Welcome Jennie. Firstly, tell me more about you, your career and how you got to this position today?
Most of my employed life was spent working in the corporate side of different public sector organisations, including Health and Local Authority. When I left to start my own business back in 2012, I was ill-equipped for the business side of things but had an excellent working knowledge of how to operate within the public sector, how to understand and implement the policies and regulation, and how to identify where there was real opportunity for value-add. Whilst I spent time learning how to grow a business and think commercially, I completed a number of business-focused contracts in various Local Authorities. It was at the end of one contract that the opportunity came up to run a digital programme for one of the London boroughs to deliver the Government’s target for gigabit broadband to be available to 85% of the UK by 2025. That was 7 years ago, and we now have 8 project managers working across 8 London boroughs and a number of Housing Associations to get their housing portfolios connected with full fibre broadband by the end of next year. Our success comes from being able to effectively balance the commercial requirements of the business partnership with the public sector ways of working, which can be completely opposing.
What is the greatest opportunity for local government when it comes to digital?
Collaboration with the private sector. We have seen this with the roll out of fibre broadband over the last 10 years - a combination of private investment, market competition, regulatory support, and resident demand will not only see the Government hit its 85% target, but more importantly also ensure that residents are benefiting from super-fast gigabit broadband at competitive prices. Most of the delivery will have been cost-neutral to the landlord, including a range of social value benefits such as free connections for community spaces, local employment support, and contributions to community schemes.
Collaboration is not just about the financial investment, but also the knowledge and expertise that private sector organisations can bring to the table. When local government are presented with new agendas to meet and new targets to deliver, many commercial organisations will have already invested heavily in potential solutions to these challenges – and be willing to invest further to meet local need. They can also offer added social value and facilitate further collaborative opportunities to strengthen outcomes. Whilst the political landscape is not yet decided for the next few years, private sector research and development continues at pace which will support huge opportunity for our public sector organisations, regardless of political leadership.
What is your vision for the future of local public services and places?
We are living in a time where people want speed, choice, and value, and they want it immediately. People have little patience for poor digital services when so much of their lives are reliant on technology and digital infrastructure, and the need to extend good connectivity beyond the home has never been greater. One of my biggest personal annoyances is poor phone signal when I am in parts of a town or city or no Wi-Fi availability when out and about. We should be looking for solutions that cross boundaries – both in terms of location and technology. The end user wants a seamless service so solutions providing that should be encouraged. On a recent trip abroad, the main towns all offered a ‘metropolis wi-fi’ that just needed one connection with a tick box and no sharing of personal data - we were online the whole time, and in different parts of the country, on different days. If we could build the infrastructure to create a seamless experience across all public services and spaces, that gives the user guaranteed connectivity, it would be a real win for everyone.
Georgina Maratheftis
Georgina is techUK’s Associate Director for Local Public Services
Ileana Lupsa
Ileana Lupsa is the Programme Manager for Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, at techUK.
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