According to the Policy Exchange think tank, a modernisation of government offices could help to cut costs in a wide array of means, which would include greater digitisation, smarter working with fewer staff based in central London, more shopping around for the best deals in procurement and greater use of data. - See more at: http://www.storetec.net/news-blog/whitehall-urged-to-go-paperless

1. Whitehall Urged To Go Paperless
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The introduction of paperless office policies could save central
government up to £70 billion by 2020,a new report claims.
According to the Policy Exchange think tank, a modernisation of
government offices could help to cut costs in a wide array of means,
which would include greater digitisation, smarter working with fewer
staff based in central London, more shopping around for the best
deals in procurement and greater use of data.

2. Its report called Smaller, Better, Faster, Stronger has said the
widespread use of paper is a waste of money. It points to bodies like
the Crown Prosecution Service as major offenders, with an output of a
million sheets a day. others include the Driving and Vehicle Licensing
Authority, who handle two HGV loads of paper every day.
The thinktank has concluded that in a country where using the internet
is the norm and in which six out of ten people access the web via a
smartphone, far more use should be made of electronic data. It argued
that paper can be avoided, except in those rare circumstances where
face-to-face meetings are unavoidable.

3. In order to offer more online services, greater training of staff is
required, according to the report. Its survey found only half of those in
positions of leadership at Whitehall know what kind of tools are needed
to work well, more than a third of public sector staff believe their
workplace technology lags behind what they have at home and nearly
four out of ten believe more access to the net can help increase
productivity.
The report is not wholly critical of the government and praises steps
taken so far to increase digitisation and the use of internet-based
services. This is noted by its author, former Treasury official Chris Yiu.

4. However, he said, keeping pace is another matter, remarking: "The
public sector has historically been slower and less effective when it
comes to taking advantage of technology, data and the internet. The
web is already inseparable from most people's day-to-day lives and this
will only increase in the years ahead. Switching to digital for everything
the government does would generate billions of pounds worth of
savings that could be used to cut the deficit or improve public services.
"Government is changing, but the world around it is changing faster.
With the internet all around us, it's reasonable to expect government to
embrace digital. Our public leaders need to rise to the challenge or risk
a chasm between new and old tearing the whole system apart."

5. Former senior policy advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron Rohan
Silva, agrees. He noted in the report that the move to digitisation came
from a "standing start" in 2010 and praised developments like gov.uk –
launched on time and within budget despite substantial "inertia and
bureaucratic opposition" – which won the 2013 Design of the Year
award. Even so, he noted, there is much more that can be done.

6. However, if improving public finances is something that can be
achieved through such large cost savings, now is the time when the
positive pressure for such developments will be at its strongest. After
all, Whitehall waste was one of themes highlighted by ministers in the
coalition government after it came into office. David Cameron talked in
the House of Commons about money being squandered on office
'peace pods' for staff to relax in, while communities secretary Eric
Pickles used his 2010 Conservative conference speech to reveal how
many pens emblazoned with the words 'Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister' John Prescott had left behind.

7. If such things are to be the subject of ridicule, it may equally be the
case that any failure of a government to switch to more cost-effective
data systems will open them up to future criticism. This will not just be
about avoiding waste in an age of austerity, as issues of being green
(by avoiding excess paperwork) and making services faster and more
efficient will also be key criteria by which the performance of Whitehall
will be judged.
To achieve all this may take time and effort, but the benefits of doing so
may be substantial enough to ensure progress continues to be made –
despite the resistance of some within the system.

8. Storetec News/Blogs. "
http://www.storetec.net/news-blog/whitehall-urged-to-go-paperless
/". Whitehall Urged To Go Paperless. September 9, 2012. Storetec.