UK gov's IT CIO is dumb idea, says likely appointee
There goes the pay rise
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The government's appointment of an IT chief is flawed, according to the man most observers see as the front runner for the job.
The British government wants a chief information officer to replace e-envoy Andrew Pindar; and favourite for the new role is Richard Granger, who is currently IT chief for the NHS. The post would oversee all government procurement and, hopefully, help the government to avoid any more IT disasters.
But Granger, already the UK's highest paid civil servant, thinks the job "lacks clout", according to the Financial Times. He is understood to have said that the job does not have enough power to stop more mistakes being made in the future.
Granger told the paper: "I have made some comments about how the role could be more delivery-focused." Other than saying he was "happy doing what I am doing for the moment" he made no other public comment.
The advert for the government IT chief first appeared at the end of February with the tag line "the most influential role in UK IT".
Granger's success at the NHS is touted by the government as a successful strategy that could be replicated elsewhere. NHS officials want Granger to stay, but his job was split at the end of last month when Aidan Halligan was appointed joint director general of NHS IT. ®
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