Government Transformation Strategy 2017–2020 launched

The Cabinet Office has published the Government Transformation Strategy 2017–2020, setting out how the government will harness digital technologies, skills and tools to transform public services and redefine the relationship between the citizen and the state.

Ben Gummer, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, outlined the government’s commitment to build on the Digital by Default services developed under the previous digital transformation strategy. Central to this commitment is identity assurance – establishing that the user is who they say they are.

To achieve this, the Cabinet Office announced that the Government Digital Service will accelerate the roll-out of GOV.UK Verify, the government’s online identity verification service, which went live in May 2016, enabling individuals to prove their identity online and access government services securely, safely and quickly. The aim is to have 25 million Verify users by the end of 2020, with Verify pilots with local authorities, banks and the commercial sector already planned.

Mr Gummer said:

I want to see a revolution in the way we deliver public services – so that people up and down our country feel that government is at their service at every single stage in the journey.

That is why we are today publishing our Government Transformation Strategy, outlining our commitment to reshape government by ensuring millions of people are able to access online the services they need, whenever they need. We will deliver these changes while driving efficiencies wherever possible, making considerable savings for the taxpayer.

Only by transforming the relationship between the citizen and the state – so that the latter serves the former – will we deliver the Prime Minister’s commitment to build a country that works for everyone.

The strategy also unveiled several new goals for the end of 2020:

• The appointment of a new chief data officer and a new data advisory board to align efforts to use data across government better and more efficiently.
• The new GDS Digital Academy, which will provide skills training across government, training 3,000 a year from 2017.
• A fully digital real-time tax system, ending the annual tax return.
• 90% of passport applications to be online by the end of 2020.
• Bringing the 2021 National Census online, aiming for 75% online response (up from 16.7% currently).