All of London's local authorities have been migrated to the Public Services Network (PSN) with the help of Virgin Media Business.
London's 33 boroughs are the first to join forces as part of the UK government's wider initiative to connect all local authorities in the country, encouraging them to share data and services across all councils.
The London Public Services Network (LondonPSN) initiative gives all connected authorities access to the Department of Work and Pensions, the Government Secure Intranet service and the Department of Health N3 service.
It's thought the initiative will improve service efficiency as staff will be able to find information across the board more easily and allow staff to have a flexible working pattern.
A report by the Cabinet Office and Vehicle Licensing Agency in January 2014 revealed migrating all local authorities to the PSN will contribute to a saving of up to 500m of taxpayers' money through the digitalisation of public services.
John Jackson, chief information officer for Camden Council, said: "It's been fantastic to see the momentum this project has gained since we kicked off last year. I am particularly excited by the potential for savings which a shared service of this magnitude could bring. Experience to date indicates a cost reduction of between 25 and 75 per cent is deliverable for products and services delivered in this way which, depending on how we develop London PSN as a shared service, could top a billion pounds over the next decade."
Virgin Media Business won the contract to provide the LondonPSN with IT services in 2011. In total, 29 suppliers will be migrating local councils to the PSN and providing them with ongoing tech support.
"Creating one single network for London councils is a huge step in the right direction towards a truly connected capital," adds Mario Di Mascio, executive sales director at Virgin Media Business. "Bringing these boroughs together is not only bringing huge cost savings, but is ensuring that for the first time Londoners can benefit from a completely connected city and its streamlined services."
