Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has signalled his enthusiasm for “channel shift” – moving services online – as a key element of the Efficiency & Reform Group’s (ERG’s) plans for the future of public services.

Speaking at a Conservative conference fringe meeting this week, Maude spoke of the huge potential benefits of the approach: “We’re working urgently on channel shift,” he said. “Moving transactions online produces big efficiency savings.”

As the ERG relaxes the tight control regimes constricting spending in several areas – including IT – departments will be urged, with the support of the government’s online services guru Martha Lane Fox, to pursue channel-shift strategies.

Speaking with Civil Service World before the fringe meeting, about the investment required, Maude acknowledged that “There is widespread scepticism in the Treasury when you say: ‘spend to save’.”

Treasury officials might be more likely to back channel-shift proposals, he suggested, if departments can guarantee high levels of online demand by withdrawing other access points. “If we’re going to do this channel shift, we’ll have to be much more aggressive in closing down other channels,” he told CSW, adding that universal access can be maintained by offering a mediated service – perhaps via public computers or call centres.

Asked how officials can build a successful case for IT investments, Maude replied: “Be creative. Be innovative. We need to move away from the assumption that all

investments need to be in brand spanking new technologies. What can be reused? We need to do much more cheap and cheerful stuff.”

The Cabinet Office is setting up a ‘government skunkworks’ to find ways of attaining public objectives more cheaply, he added. “The old civil service culture – risk-averse, specify how everything will be done to the n’th degree – doesn’t work,” Maude said. “We need to specify the outcome we need, and frankly we don’t give a toss exactly how it’s attained.”

Written by Matt Ross, CSW