eTameside 2008

Introduction

The eTameside partnership was originally formed to provide strategic leadership to the borough on the emerging "e" challenge. The partnership was a nexus of public, private and voluntary sector organisations from across Tameside, all of whom had an interest in delivering, promoting and driving forward ICT and the ‘e-agenda’. Through the partnership the council coordinated activity with local communities and local partners as well as local and central government to promote, develop and champion the e-agenda within Tameside and the wider UK. The eTameside vision was underpinned by a robust strategy based on four key elements:

• Life Long e-Learning
• e-Inclusion
• Local e-Economy
• e-Enabled Public Services

With the move towards personalisation of services to the citizen; greater reliance on broadband; the increase in the availability of wireless connectivity; the rise of new and ever more powerful social and business software freely available on the World Wide Web and ubiquitous access to technology it is time to revisit and re-energise the eTameside concept.

The New Strategy

The eTameside strategy was originally developed in 1999 and revised again in 2005. This is the third iteration and aims to once again ensure its relevance to the world we live in.

The intention is for the vision to be complementary and supportive to the existing activities and aspirations of the various partnerships and groups that are involved in improving the wider "well being" of the borough, including the TSP, Older Peoples Partnership and others. There is also a link to some of the wider issues contained in the Transformational Government Strategy such as efficiencies and shared services.

eTameside must also look to support and help coordinate the various ICT related activities from across the council. Major schemes and programmes of work such as Building Schools for the Future, New Libraries for Tameside and the Customer Contact and Care Strategy have major ICT, eLearning and Social Inclusion themes running through them. If activities are not coordinated we run the risk of duplicating effort unnecessarily.

View the eTameside Strategy 5.59 MB

Consultation

Consultation on the vision began in earnest in October 2007 before approval was sought from the Tameside Economic Learning Partnership and the Tameside Strategic Partnership later in the year. An Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) was also undertaken and this has led to renewed efforts to consult across a wide range of stakeholders. In January 2008 a two day visioning workshop considered key questions, outcomes and actions. The results of this work will be available on this website during March 2008.

Partnership Governance

Membership to eTameside is open to any business, voluntary sector organisation or public sector agency. The steering group that oversees the delivery of the action plan, and overall programme direction will meet every 3 months. It will be chaired by the Cabinet Deputy for Co-ordination Services along with representatives from the major organisations and agencies involved. Typically this would include: various services within the council; local colleges; New Charter Housing; Healthcare Trust; Greater Manchester Police; local business and representatives from the Tameside Older People’s Partnership.

Reporting arrangements are to the TSP through the Tameside Economic Learning Partnership.

The Vision

At the heart of eTameside is a vision for the borough in which:

• Our schools are well resourced with technology and our children are equipped to make the most of the ICT tools available to them, being confident, competent and discerning users of technology
• Our SME's are both ready and equipped to exploit the opportunities technology presents
• ICT plays a key role in the support of life long learning
• Citizens are not disadvantaged by lack of access to the opportunities that ICT present
• The Council and its partners can harness the power that technology and eGovernment can bring to transform the way public services are delivered
• ICT enables the personalisation of services to citizens of the borough
• Technology supports and enables social inclusion, whereby all citizens, whatever their background or circumstances, have similar life chances

The Action Plan

Supporting the vision will be a practical action plan, linking and coordinating projects and initiatives from across the public and private sector, reducing duplication and areas of conflict. The plan will help to guide the strategy, providing delivery milestones.

For more information or to comment on the strategy please contact us:

Contact Information
Send us a Message	Head of ICT Tameside MBC Council Offices Wellington Road Ashton under Lyne Lancs OL6 6DL View local map
0161 342 2197