The real problem not: local chaos?

At the national level, we may have a minister who oversees issues such as cybersecurity, privacy, and digital infrastructure. But what happens locally, in our municipalities and other local governments? Here is perhaps the real problem, because the reality is that the digital landscape at the local level is often chaos. Take, for example, the results of our recent benchmark survey.

85% of local government websites fail 6 or more of the 12 critical survey items.

Why is this? There are an average of 40 websites or web applications that residents and business owners use per municipality, water board, province or other government agencies. This is because each department or project team purchases, implements and publishes its own Web site or application. In a general sense, it appears that at the local level there is little to no central control or policy established on all of these Web environments.

• Management? Unclear.
• Governance? Absent.
• Accountability? Well, no one dares to say.

There is simply no coordinated digital strategy and certainly no enforcement at the local level of this strategy.

Too many chefs, not enough focus

What I often see during my conversations with municipalities, for example, is that responsibility for digital systems is fragmented across different departments. The CISO has something to say about security, the head of communications deals with accessible content and citizen interaction, the ICT department is busy with maintenance, and so on. Everyone is somewhat responsible, but no one has complete control. And that is exactly where I think it goes wrong, who is centrally accountable per municipality, for example? Often I do see that the big websites or web applications are well secured in policy. But so that also means that 30+ environments are not properly secured. This shouldn't be possible, should it?

If we really want to move forward with the digitization of our government, we need a strong, central role. Our Secretary of State for Digital Affairs is already setting the positive tone at the national level, but that is not someone who can fully focus on local digital infrastructure. We need someone with follow-through power and mandate at the local level to make real change.

My solution: appoint an internal regulator for each government

This is why I propose: an internal supervisor with a mandate within each local government. A kind of local "mini-minister." I call him or her the "CDSO" (Chief Digital Service Officer), focused entirely on streamlining and enforcing government digital policies. This overseer would not only monitor compliance with policies, but also be actively engaged in rewriting, improving those policies as needed, and halting environments that do not meet criteria. After all, the CISO can also stop an environment if it is not compliant, why shouldn't a CDSO be able to do the same?

Regardless of the function, the important thing is: this person would ensure that everything is actually enforceable throughout the digital chain.

Imagine how different it would be if, for example, every municipality had such a supervisor. Websites would no longer be a proliferation of solutions with all kinds of issues, but part of a coordinated digital ecosystem. Privacy and security measures would no longer be an afterthought, but an integral part of every project from the beginning. And citizens could count on consistent, secure and, above all, accessible digital information and services.

Why one minister is not enough?

Now I hear you thinking, "But what if this minister of Digital Affairs comes? Isn't that enough?" Well, a minister can do a lot at the national level, but the complexity of digitization within municipalities requires customization and direct involvement. Local challenges require local solutions, and you can't always impose that from above. A minister needs the helicopter view to develop national strategies, but at the municipal level, for example, we need someone who rolls up their sleeves and gets to work in practice.

What if...?

What would happen if every municipality had such a supervisor? Would the proliferation of systems be reduced? Would we be better able to meet the requirements of digital accessibility, privacy and security? Would it cost the community less? My assessment: absolutely.

It is time that we recognize that digitization is not only a national issue, but also requires action at the local level. So yes, if you ask me, let's especially welcome that Minister of Digital Affairs and give the Secretary of State more power. But at the same time, let's make sure that we have people at the local level who can really take responsibility and have the power to really change things. In other words, with real mandate. I see people with this quality walking in our field every day, but they lack the time and mandate to be successful. Give them the right opportunities so we can really build the digital government of the future.

What do you think? Should every municipality, water board or province have a supervisor who directs and enforces digital policy across the organization? Do you agree or disagree with me at all? If so, is the CDSO as a function now born? I look forward to hearing your responses!