26.09.19
Government messaging service to save taxpayer £175m
GOV.UK has today announced that its messaging service Notify, is on track to save taxpayers an average of £35m a year over the next five years.
The government run messaging service was designed to provide a simple line of communication between people and the government.
The service is used by many organisations, with the most used being Cabinet Office, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Ministry of Defence.
Since its launch four years ago, Notify has been used more than half a billion times, sending out important messages, ranging from council tax reminders to doctors appointments, in an instant.
Local authorities and public sector bodies no longer need to contact the public through call centres or letters, a lengthy and expensive process.
Without the long-winded process of chasing up individuals, Notify is expected to save £175m over the next five years. Which, according to the Government, is a saving equivalent to the construction of eight new secondary schools.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Oliver Dowden, said:
“Notify is a great example of how the government is using technology to make people’s lives easier and save money.
“More than 1,200 services across central government, local government, and the wider public sector use the Notify service.
Minister for Implementation, Simon Hart, said:
“By working smarter, our Notify system has led to people having half a billion fewer phone calls, letters or reminders over the last four years - generating huge savings in time, money and stress for them.”