Government Transformation Strategy launched

Minister for the Cabinet Office Ben Gummer has launched the Government Transformation Strategy to improve online public services.

The Government Transformation Strategy sets out how the government will harness digital technologies, skills and tools to transform public services and put the citizen first.

The strategy outlines the government’s commitment to build on the Digital by Default services developed under the previous Digital Transformation Strategy, and also accelerates the roll-out of GOV.UK Verify, the government’s online identity verification service, aiming to have 25 million Verify users by the end of 2020.

Additionally, the strategy unveils several ambitious new goals for the end of 2020, with the Government Digital Service working with departments to achieve: the appointment of a new Chief Data Officer and a new Data Advisory Board; creating the most digitally skilled Civil Service in the world through the new GDS Digital Academy; a fully digital real-time tax system, ending the monotony of the annual tax return; achieving 90 per cent of passport applications online by the end of 2020; and bringing the 2021 National Census online, aiming for 75 per cent online response.

Gummer said: “I want to see a revolution in the way we deliver public services – so that people up and down our country feel that government is at their service at every single stage in the journey.

“That is why we are today publishing our Government Transformation Strategy, outlining our commitment to reshape government by ensuring millions of people are able to access online the services they need, whenever they need. We will deliver these changes while driving efficiencies wherever possible, making considerable savings for the taxpayer.

“Only by transforming the relationship between the citizen and the state – so that the latter serves the former – will we deliver the Prime Minister’s commitment to build a country that works for everyone.”