NEW YEAR HEADLINES

2011: MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER USED LOOKING LOCAL

Usage of Looking Local during 2011 again broke all records, with over 1.83million sessions recorded over the year; a 36% increase on 2010.

During 2011 Looking Local launched 'Report It' apps for both Android and iPhones and dedicated interfaces for smartphones enabling quick and easy navigation on partner sites. Later on in the year, we took our 120+ partners on to Facebook, adding to Looking Local's usage and opening up access via new and popular channels. On top of this, TV remains a popular platform by which to access public services, due to the sheer numbers of digital TVs in the UK and the value of the services to those without internet access.

2011 saw a similar increase in terms of pages viewed, with page hits topping 31 million; showing that the content on Looking Local is increasingly relevant and valuable. The average session was 18 pages and around 50% of all usage is out of standard office hours.

LHA WEBSITE SOFT LAUNCH ON TARGET

Work on the affordable housing portal for West Yorkshire continues to plan, with over 500 landlords now registered to upload their property details and the soft launch on track for later this month. Funded by the DWP, the site www.letshelpyou.co.uk will allow people in West Yorkshire to find available properties they can afford in light of changes to LHA. For more info click here.

FIRST GP CONSORTIA SITE LAUNCHES SOON

The first GP consortia to use Looking Local to extend access to local health services on TV, mobile, smartphones and social networks launches later this month. Baywide GP consortia based in South Devon, will extend digital access to homes across Torbay that do not have internet access, as well as capitalising on the ever-increasing ownership of mobile and smartphones.

Specifically patients will be able to make appointments, request home visits, order repeat prescriptions, find out information on test results, understand how to register with the surgery, organise transport around health needs and more.

The service offers direct access to all the GP surgeries in the group as well as the ability to access medical information and health guides from NHS Choices and comment on local health services via Patient Opinion.

COMMUNITY CHANNEL LINK UP - LIVE WELL

Looking Local has created a dedicated 'Live Well' site, accessed via the main Looking Local menu, focusing on health, diet and wellbeing. Available for the whole of January, the site is a direct route for people across the UK to find health advice and local listings to help them achieve new year goals around getting fit.

The site is being promoted on TV by our broadcast partner the Community Channel, via a series of trailers and 'calls to action', and links directly into their programming focus for January. The Community Channel is running a series of programmes throughout the month around getting fit, being healthy and related issues.

LHA PORTAL GETS THUMBS UP & GOOD PRESS COVERAGE

Looking Local is developing an affordable housing portal commissioned by the DWP for launch in 2012. Following a number of presentations at landlord forums, a national press release and a mailer to our housing customers and contacts, it has been widely welcomed.

With LHA changes set to come in early in 2012, there will be significant movement in the housing market and this portal will help both landlords and tenants handle the changes as smoothly as possible.

To read the coverage from The Guardian click here

If you would like to be kept up to date with the LHA portal project please contact billie.gill@letshelpyou.co.uk

NEW APPS & TABLET DEVELOPMENT

VIRTEX (VIRTUAL EXTRA CARE) HEALTH PROJECT

Looking Local has been developing an innovative approach for public service delivery for older people, with a focus on reducing isolation, connecting carers, family and friends and delivering healthcare efficiencies. We have now created a useful, connected, safe and trusted service, which is being delivered via a Motorola Xoom tablet; currently being trialled with a range of older people across the UK.

Virtex (virtual extra care) in its base state feels like a digital photo frame carousel. Services and messages are managed by a web based management system and the overall solution integrates a significant level of user centric design. Current services include: Messaging, Video Calls, Photos, Calendar, Public Sector Services and News.

Without needing to know how the device, VOIP, video conferencing or webcams work, without needing to understand tariffs or protocols, an older person can be connected with their ‘inner circle’ (family, friends, care workers, social services and healthcare professionals), wherever they are in the world. There are two integrated cameras on the Motorola Xoom, which allows the trusted circle to see the older person as well as their environment. This in turn leads to a range of possibilities in terms of remote healthcare, ensuring safety, improved contact, tackling isolation and managing public sector resources more effectively.

Whether it is self diagnosis, check-ups, medication reminders, or showing a healthcare professional the state of a non-emergency problem, the video call functionality could change the provision of healthcare in terms of the cost, time and effort on both sides.

This is a significant project in terms of the range of public service providers who work with older people. Looking Local will be publishing research and findings in early 2012.

HOUSING REPAIRS SMARTPHONE APP IN DEVELOPMENT

Following the success of Looking Local’s national ‘Report It’ smartphone apps focused on streetscene issues (potholes, grafitti, fly tipping, broken streetlights etc) launched in January this year, we have begun work on a housing app.

The Housing app will follow a similar approach in terms of usability and functionality allowing tenants to report a range of internal and external housing issues, as well as reporting anti-social behaviour and the ability to contact their housing association. The functionality of the smartphone such as the camera facility and GPS will be integrated where appropriate.

We are working with a number of partners to ensure the app reflects their needs, the housing app will be launched in 2012 and will be a welcome addition to Looking Local's suite of apps.

NEW VOLUNTEERING APP FOR ANDROID SMARTPHONE OWNERS

Looking Local has teamed up with volunteering website Do-it to deliver a new app for Android smartphone owners allowing them to search of volunteering opportunities across the UK. Whether people have a spare hour or a week, want to do something one-off or regularly, the new app gives access to Do-it’s one million plus opportunities.

Read more on this story here.

DRIVE USAGE ON YOUR LOOKING LOCAL SITE

The first week of November Caerphilly saw usage from Looking Local soar as they added Fireworks information to their service. In one week alone their site received 7,800 hits as part of over 1,700 sessions, which shows that keeping content up to date is key to driving usage. 



With the winter coming on and potential road, school and facility closures driving people to self serve for this information on TV, mobile and now within Facebook makes a huge difference.

Last year Fife put all their school closure information on their Looking Local site and promoted it within their schools with a simple leaflet to all parents. This led to over 16,000 calls being diverted from call centres over a two week period and more than paid for the marketing of the service.

FACEBOOK, POLICE 101 SERVICES, NHS SCOTLAND & MORE

• LOOKING LOCAL DELIVERS INTERACTIVE PUBLIC SECTOR SERVICES ON FACEBOOK

To leverage the popularity and potential of Facebook to deliver public sector services, Looking Local has launched an app allowing the 25 million plus UK Facebook members to use interactive public sector services within the UK’s most popular social media network.

In addition to being able to find partner services via Looking Local on Facebook, partners can embed services into their own Facebook sites individually or en masse. Whether it is the ability to search for a job via Jobcentre Plus, report local issues or contact councilors, the app allows for deep integration and brings public sector interactivity to Facebook.

If you are a Facebook member, log in and see it here or go to Looking Local's Facebook page and click Looking Local from the left hand menu. Bracknell Forest has worked with us to show how embedded service look within their Facebook page, click here to see it.

To read more on this story click here.

• POLICE NON EMERGENCY 101 SERVICE LIVE ON LOOKING LOCAL

People across Gwent can now report non emergency crimes, incidents and concerns to Gwent Police Force using Looking Local on TV (Sky & Virgin), mobile, Facebook and smartphones. The site is available in both English and Welsh and as with 101 issues reported by phone or online, all reports go direct for handling at their police headquarters.

Chief Superintendent Alun Thomas of Gwent Police says “This is another way in which the public can contact the Police on less urgent (or non 999) issues. As technology moves forward, we want to be at the forefront in providing new ways to access policing services. Looking Local – 101 opens a new channel for 1000s of people in the community”

Looking Local is working on optimising the 101 service to launch as a smartphone app which will include the ability to attach photo evidence and geo-tag the reports. With 101 rolling out across the country by the end of 2011, there is a very real opportunity to widen access to 101 on a variety of devices and channels by using Looking Local.

• NHS SCOTLAND LAUNCH NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ON LOOKING LOCAL

NHS Scotland has launched a national service extending access to a range of health services via Looking Local’s channels.

OFCOM reports that Scotland has the lowest broadband penetration in the UK at only 61%, being particularly low amongst low income homes and older people. In addition to TV access, Looking Local NHS Scotland to capitalise on the growing number of smartphone users and people who chose to own a mobile or smartphone instead of getting a home PC and internet connection.

Patients can access services from NHS 24, NHS Inform, Care Information Scotland and Scottish Backs as well as undertake health questionnaires. The service offers real time GP appointment booking, access to local health services (dentists, doctors, opticians, pharmacies), information from the Health A-Z, seasonal health advice, news, health and wellbeing guides, as well as links to local support organisations.

To read more on this story click here.

NHS Scotland is continually looking to improve the service and just this week has added a range of advice and content around back, muscles and joint problems, you can see this new feature here.

• LINK UP WITH BROADCASTING PARTNER THE COMMUNITY CHANNEL

To build on the partnership Looking Local has with Community Channel, Looking Local is linking up with the TV channel’s broadcast theme around health and addictions for the month of November. In addition to driving traffic, we believe this will bring the relationship between the broadcast and interactive services to life.

The Community Channel has a range of programmes scheduled around this theme and will be running TV trailers promoting the services Looking Local partners offer, from the obvious health listings and addiction guides available from NHS Choices as well as housing, jobs and other related council services.

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UPDATE - MARCH

LOOKING LOCAL’S IPHONE APP RECEIVES GREAT FEEDBACK… “I want to congratulate the council on the best development they have made in years! This is perfect for a people of many different ages to get involved and show they care about their local area.” Vicky, Stockport “Whoever thought of the i-Phone App for WDC and whoever wrote the code deserves a bonus payment.” Anon, Wychavon SOCITM ADVISES: ‘GO MOBILE’: One of the main points to come out of the SOCITM Better Connected 2011 Report was for all councils to 'Go Mobile' to ensure efficient front line service delivery, by encouraging self-service and thus savings. "As people are using the internet more and more 'on the move', mobile devices are ideally suited to responding to a consumer wanting to complete a simple task. Yet our survey shows that only 4% of all council websites were rated 'very good' when accessed on an iPhone." SOCITM Better Connected Report 2011 Looking Local’s solution provides easy entry into the mobile and smartphone market for any public sector body, our iPhone app will soon have an Android equivalent and promotion of the app, with the next step being having the ability to surface any partner service as a standalone, branded app. Read more here: http://lookinglocal.gov.uk/site/news/2011-03-15-socitm.html CHOICE BASED LETTINGS ON TV CAN CREATE OVER £40K OF SAVINGS: A recent CLG-backed business case says that delivering choice based lettings on TV – specifically via Looking Local – can help reduce frontline costs and widen access to this key local housing service. For housing associations and local authorities with around 8,000 properties the savings can be around £40k pa. Find out more here: http://lookinglocal.gov.uk/site/news/2011-03-15-cbl.html LOOKING LOCAL’S NEW SHORTCODE – 61061 –DRIVING MOBILE USAGE: The latest improvement to the Looking Local solution now provides partners with a simple and free way to promote the mobile side of their Looking Local service and reach customers ‘on the move’. With budgets tight but the need to deliver frontline services and efficiencies increasingly important, the Looking Local shortcode – 61061 – is a tool by which public sector can direct people to self-serve, whether at home or on the move. By texting their postcode to 61061, the user gets an immediate SMS response with a link to their local services within Looking Local. Latest figures show that 91% of the UK adult population owns a mobile phone, the surging popularity of smartphones, the millions of internet enabled handsets and our changing demands in terms of the speed and availability of public sector services, means that by promoting the shortcode you can simply and effectively drive more people to self serve when and where they want. TIMEBANKING LIVE ACROSS ALL BUREAU SITES: Access via TV, mobile and smartphones to Timebanking UK has now been extended to over 80 Looking Local sites, allowing people across the UK to find out more about Timebanking and get in touch with their local timebank. The work was funded by the Digital Inclusion Unit at CLG and specifically focuses on people who are socially and often financially excluded – many of whom don’t have internet access – to give them alternative ways in to ask for help and get involved with their community. There are many benefits to having a strong community in terms of service delivery, engagement, feedback, participation and potentially even savings. Unlocking the wealth of expertise, time, energy and knowledge within a community could encourage a new collaborative way of providing services; there is huge potential and many believe that working together can make a real difference. Timebanking allows people on a very local level to give and receive help, via an appointed local ‘time broker’ (the person who runs the local time bank). Initially piloted in Kirklees, the national integration with Timebanking UK’s software, means we are able to extend public access on alternative channels to this key community focused time exchange programme.

Update 24th-29th January

LOOKING LOCAL WINS A NATIONAL E-GOVERNMENT AWARD
Looking Local was delighted to win the coveted award for ‘Local e-Government Excellence: Take Up & Usage Growth’ at the national e-Government awards in London last week. Key to the award was ‘Ensuring high and growing take-up of an e-enabled service through effective service delivery and marketing’. The award reflected the importance of additional electronic channels in widening access and closing the digital divide.

To read more on this click here
To see images click here

COMMUNITY CHANNEL TRAILER PROMOTING LOOKING LOCAL
Our partner on Sky, the Community Channel, has been running a trailer to encourage viewers to push the red button and interact with Looking Local since December. The trailer references the services that people can access via Looking Local and gives people the important messaage that they do not have to be online to be able to access public sector services.

See the video here

Update: Jan 1st-9th, 2011

NATIONWIDE PUBLIC SECTOR IPHONE APP

The main focus for Looking Local since Xmas and the New Year has been our new iOS App, which allows iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users direct access into the first nationwide public sector app combining a wide range of local and national services.

Available now in the iTunes store, it is free and gives people across the UK immediate and intuitive access to local councils, housing associations and a wide range of other public sector organisations on these increasingly popular devices.

A logical extension of our work on mobile phones, Looking Local feels this brings real benefits to iPhone users as well as our partners – local authorities, housing associations, health authorities and other public sector organisations – who are able to promote the app to their customers without having to concentrate resource and budget to develop or manage it in-house.

For more on this story click here.

Update: 6th-10th December 2010

Looking Local Breaks Usage Records
Last week was the busiest week ever for Looking Local, usage broke the 600,000 hits per week barrier for the first time in our history.

Main contributors to this feat were the Fife Road/School Closures plugin and the Intouch Kirklees site, which received its third highest amount of hits ever (28,218). Also worth a mention is the Caerphilly School Closures plugin, a relatively new addition, but one which accounted for the majority of traffic to their site.

The Fife Road/School Closures plugin continues to show real tangible results in terms of channel shift, last week’s usage showed an average of 24 sessions per head of Fife’s population, which is incredible.

Disabled Go Launches on TV via Looking Local
DisabledGo provides detailed access guides to a range of different venues like cinemas, hotels, restaurants, council offices, parks, tourist attractions etc. The aim is to provide information that will allow disabled visitors to decide whether a venue is right for their requirements and plan ahead. Looking Local is pleased to welcome DisabledGo to the portal, now people across the UK can find accessibility digests by venue, town or distance whether on DiTV or mobile phone.

Speaking about the new service Dr. Gregory Burke, Chief Executive, DisabledGo said, ‘Our steering groups around the country were concerned that people without the internet were missing out on our information. We have invested to put that right. More people will be able to use DisabledGo on their television.’

Users can select a region and then choose the type of venue they are interested in visiting (e.g. Restaurants in Canterbury), they might be looking for specific facilities like Braille signage or graded parking, or just general disability awareness training amongst the staff. The disabled facility details will also be supplemented with other relevant information about the venue such as directions or opening times.

TV is the Channel of Choice for a Growing Number of People
Looking Local has been running a series of questionnaires on TV asking people what they want from public sector on DiTV, what they like, didn’t like on Looking Local etc. The results are very welcome with increasing numbers of people regularly using DiTV and wanting government services on these additional channels.

Headlines from questionnaire run between July-Nov 2010 showed:
o 59% of Looking Local users, used interactive TV very regularly (‘all the time’, daily or weekly)
o Nearly 50% of our users are repeat customers
o 75% said using Looking Local was easy
o 30% of people said government services on TV were very important to them
o 45% had no internet access and 37% had no new media skills
o Over 55% said they traditionally would call their council to undertake their business, 16% in person and still 6% by letter

We see this as further proof that people are using DiTV for public services, find it easy to use and would otherwise use more expensive communication channels.