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HMRC to open digital centre in North East

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22nd Jan 2014
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The Revenue is taking another step in its digital strategy as it announced plans to open a digital centre in the North East.

It aims to recruit 50 digital specialists, including product managers, user researchers and software developers to the centre.

Applications are open to existing HMRC staff and external candidates and will be open from 27 January.

The aim of the centre, according to the Revenue, is to identify the needs of taxpayers, test out new services and improve existing ones. It will also bring across 30 existing HMRC staff to the centre and aims to open another later in 2014, although it is yet to confirm where.

The Government Digital Service is working with HMRC and other government departments to redesign and rebuild 25 significant “exemplar” services.

All of these are designed to meet the Digital by Default Service Standard by April 2014 and will be completed by 2015. 

The move is part of new CIO Mark Dearnley’s “ambitious programme to transform HMRC’s online and digital services”.

Dearnley was CIO of Vodafone from 2010 to last year and was responsible for the IT that supports 19 million customers. While there, he led a programme that overhauled the company’s business critical information systems and restructured its IT operating model.

HMRC’s move to “digital by default” was outlined in its digital strategy and is something Dearnley is keenly implementing:

“This recruitment is the first step on our journey to offer a digital service that allows our customers to service their own needs online and reduced the dependence on paper services,” he said.

ICPA chairman Tony Margaritelli, who is a frequent attendee of Agent Strategy meetings, said that he can understand the reasoning behind the recruitment, but has some concerns. 

"If digital by default needs these people and skills and its perceived to be the best thing by management then we can't argue with it.

"The serious concern I have about this is that so many things were going to be done and they’re changed. And I wonder, how much of the changes are on the back of technical issues rather than practical issues. The worry always is that we get in a system that conforms or is able to be produced by techies at that moment in time rather than what the Revenue actually needs," he said.

The roll-out of HMRC's digital strategy continues as late last year the Revenue also announced a consultation on paperless self assessment as part of the strategy.

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