Tom Loosemore, who did much to drive the BBC's online presence from 2001 to 2007, is on the market, having completed a similar spell with the Government's Digital Service - and maybe the BBC should snap him up again.
His farewell blog to Whitehall is instructive for what he's achieved, and where the blockers are, with praise for Francis Maude, and an interesting mention of Universal Credit.
The problem with the Government's interaction with citizens is complexity. The delivery of online services requires a simple offer, simply presented and easily understood; designing a front end puts existing complications into severe relief. Governments from way back have tweaked and twisted, rather than reformed. The best, and least trusted, offer from HMRC is "Let us calculate your tax for you". No, let's have a simple system that is straightforward and transparent. Then put a front end on that.
Tom seems to have picked that up. He might be very useful in Charter Renewal and beyond.
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