O2 Launches Future Fund For Local Authority Tech Projects

O2 has launched the Future Fund, a scheme which will give IT teams in local government authorities the opportunity to gain funding for community and workplace projects.

Local authorities can apply for funding worth £125,000, £75,000, or £50,000, with successful applicants also getting a package of O2 consultancy time, services and technology to assist in the planned projects.

Developing local government IT

O2 kicked off the Future Fund with an event on Wednesday showcasing various services and technologies that could be worked into councils’ projects. These included mobile advertising, location-based services and app development.

“O2 believes that the right application of technology has the potential to drive real change and our findings through our work with local government ICT departments support this belief,” said Ben Dowd, director of business at O2, in a statement. “The Future Fund will give a glimpse of what is possible with a bit of imagination and we will support the winning bids by providing investment in their IT infrastructure coupled with resource and expertise.  So it is up to the councils to determine how it can be applied to their own council, citizens or community, ultimately giving local government the ability to really shape their own destiny in a project they are passionate about.”

The initiative is obviously not just altruistic, as it is also aimed at enabling councils to use more O2 services, addressing the fact that they may be blocked from moving to more efficient ways of working through a lack of initial investment.

The idea came out of O2’s Local Government Futures Forum, which tackles the issue of how to modernise councils in times of reduced government spending.

Based on consultations with various individuals across local authorities O2 found that 70 percent of IT departments felt that budget and resources were a significant blocker on developing council-wide services and innovations. This has been due to cuts in government spending, necessitating quick problem-solving measures rather than new and adaptive methods of using IT in local government.

The resulting Future Fund seeks to address the main concerns by emphasising efficiency and cost reduction, while ensuring that councils continue to engage and empower the community with technology.

“ICT really does have the ability to transform local government, at O2 we want to ensure that in difficult times we step up and help to provide some of the expertise and technology that can help to drive that change and act as an example for others,” said O2’s head of local government, Neil Prior.

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