The Covid-19 pandemic means that many citizens are contacting their local authority online for the very first time. Unable to communicate with officials face-to-face, they expect seamless and effective service through digital channels instead.

In this series of local government Q&As, Stephen Ottewell, Director of Planning and Building Control at Capita Local Public Services, interviews planning experts on hot topics in the sector, including the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We can rise to the COVID-19 challenge if we focus on wellbeing and innovation, says Christine Chesworth, Head of HR Advisory at Capita.

We’re releasing our new research into the issues facing people in unmanageable debtin the midst of an economic crisis triggered by Covid-19, which is tipping many people into financial difficulty through no fault of their own.

At the height of lockdown, over one third of the world’s working population were working from home. Overnight we went home.

In July 2020 the Government published its much-anticipated draft Building Safety Bill. Described by the Housing Secretary as the “biggest improvements to building safety in nearly 40 years”, the Bill goes beyond the traditional boundaries of regulatory change and seeks to bring forward a clearer regulatory system with residents’ safety at its heart.

Acknowledging and apologising for our involvement in the Windrush Scandal

Retailers need to stop expecting business to return to “normal”. 

The use of data analytics and automation can improve the experience of users and deliver savings compared to the more traditional service-desk SLA approach.

For the past decade, PFI (private finance initiative) contracts have been in place to support the public sector with the management of their existing estates and facilities.