Thirty years providing public service have allowed Diego Lorente (Cartagena, 1968) to know the needs of citizens to relate effectively with the Administration. Among them, “transparency in documents and the reduction of bureaucracy in procedures, a main theme within Vox's electoral program,” explains the councilor delegate of New Technologies, Electronic Administration and Transparency. This delegation is attached to the area of Employment, Training and Contracting.
How can electronic administration and new technologies improve the internal work of the City Council?
Information management will be done through document management and the employee portal. The automation of processes, collaboration and communication, through platforms and internal messaging systems that will facilitate the work. In recent years, the security and protection of personal and professional data has become one of the greatest concerns, which is why we take appropriate measures. In addition, we will carry out training and continuous training tasks for employees to always be up to date. We can say that the Cartagena City Council is among the most advanced in Spain in terms of new technologies and electronic administration. The congress organized by Serdipualba awarded the Consistory in 2022 for its configuration and adaptation of administrative procedures. More and more citizens are using our platforms. 79% of the people surveyed declared that they use the City Council's electronic services to resolve their doubts.
ASSESSMENT
«We are one of the most advanced municipalities in electronic administration»
The implementation of innovative systems involves the recycling of personnel. Are public employees up to date?
If they are. It is important to highlight that their willingness to adapt to changes is total. They are aware that ongoing training is essential to ensure they are up to date with the latest technologies and working practices. Cartagena City Council implements regular training programs and establishes partnerships with educational institutions such as the training courses of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces and the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia, to offer learning opportunities.
With what specific measures are you going to promote citizen participation in electronic administration?
Some are already implemented in the Cartagena City Council and others are in development, such as guaranteeing the accessibility of platforms and emails for all people. We want to empower technology for all citizens taking into account diversity, including those with different abilities and levels of access. The goal of our department is to make processes and procedures easy for citizens, especially for older people and people with disabilities, and we will achieve this by working and developing simple access on the platforms. For example, we already have tutorials on YouTube that explain the steps of the procedures. But there is still a way to go in this line and collaborating with other areas of the City Council so that all citizens can take care of themselves.
STRATEGY
«We will promote social networks and digital communication to reach a wider audience»
And what is there to do?
We want to develop citizen participation platforms with forums, surveys and spaces for comments that encourage the collaboration of neighbors. To do this, we will facilitate access to information with clear and concise documents for all citizens who wish to be informed. We will ask the citizen if he wants to be informed with electronic notifications and alerts. On the other hand, we will enhance social networks and digital communication to reach a broader and more diverse audience such as young people, so that they know the latest news, updates, events and can interact. The 'feedback' is important if we want to maintain the loyalty of the citizen who will be with the 'chatbot' application and as long as there is respect and education.
For Vox, does the Cartagena City Council approve of transparency or does it need to improve?
Yes, totally. And as in life, everything can be improved. And I say yes because the City Council has received several awards for this management. For example, in 2022 it was awarded the European Label of Excellence for Innovation and Good Local Governance (Eloge) from the Council of Europe. This is the highest distinction at European level for local governments. This year, the Cartagena City Council received the Infoparticipa Seal for the seventh consecutive year with 100% of the score.
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