When the £4.1m national smart card project was launched last April, it promised to improve access to services for citizens, promote social inclusion, and put forward business cases and a standards framework. How has it fared?

"The money the government has spent will save local authorities 10 or 30 times that collectively because of the work they will not have to do if they are implementing smart cards," says Vincent Paliczka, chair of the national smart card project. He explains that the starter packs created by the national project and toolkits for purchasing smart card technologies will be invaluable for councils who want to introduce smart cards.

Paliczka, the director of leisure services for Bracknell Forest, believes the strengths of smart cards are their ability to collect data efficiently for concessionary transport schemes, for example, so councils can understand who is using their services and make them more effective. Bracknell has issued about 18,000 Edge cards. They have an e-purse facility that enables users to load cash on to the card and use it for hiring CDs, DVDs and videos in libraries. The e-purse facility is alsoused for cashless catering in a secondary school. Paliczka says it is popular with parents as the money can only be spent on school meals.

However, despite the benefits, the cost of implementing smart card schemes is frequently a deterrent. Richard Powell, a consultant who has been working on a number of transport initiatives for Southampton City Council, believes the national project's work on business cases will encourage more authorities to take the plunge. "It tries to be realistic about cost. The business case says there are various entry levels. But it has to be politically acceptable to councils and fit in with their social priorities. Value for money is always a complicated issue. Councils tend to focus on the money side and not the values."

To share costs and spread risks, the national project has encouraged councils to work together to manage smart cards. More than 60,000 people in Cornwall, representing about 10% of Cornwall's population, now have a Cornish key card and can use it for library services, school meals and car park tickets. Significantly, the card was launched by the county council in partnership with six district councils. Gavin Grace, programme manager for the national smart card project in Cornwall, says the partnership is helping with the roll-out and take-up of the card.

As part of the national project, Cornwall County Council has developed smart card management software, which it is offering free to councils. It has developed a generic database that will enable councils to add and implement new services. Other features include enrolment software, which works over the web or at service points such as libraries.

And Grace points out that data can be exported to an XML file and then sent to a bureau so a council can effectively outsource card production. While in principle the offer of free smart card management software sounds attractive, there are no funds to maintain and enhance the software and Grace is concerned about who will support it. He hopes more funding will come from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Before the national smart card project got underway, local authorities were developing their own smart card schemes. Mick Davies, strategic consultant for London Connects, says the national project has helped develop common standards. "The fact that we are developing within a framework means suppliers can deliver to it." Davies hopes that more London councils will now try to integrate Oyster transport cards with smart cards. In the wake of the national project, Davies believes many more councils will commit to using smart cards. "The potential for improving services and personalising services is huge."

For many councils, the complexity of smart cards and the risks involved are just too high. Multi-functional smart cards are the most cost-effective in the long-term but that scale of commitment requires considerable planning and resources.

However, Davies believes that the research, starter kits and business cases the national project has produced now need to be disseminated vigorously if smart cards are to become a more prevalent way for citizens to access services.

The long-term success of the national smart card project as a step towards the modernisation of the public sector will be judged on the extent to which it successfully translates local council interest in smart cards into action. And without additional government funds, that is going to be an uphill task.

Links

www.scnf.org.uk
www.londonconnects.org.uk