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Essex Smart County
Essex commits to becoming UK’s smartest county.
15:29 24 September 2018
Essex is deeply committed to becoming UK’s most progressive and smartest county. It has been actively pursuing various smart city pilots, ranging from smart street lamps to smart care homes and rural broadband.
Jason Kitcat, the executive director for corporate development at Essex County Council, said that although it can be challenging to realise the goal, if given the right sources and infrastructure, it could be realised.
"I think it can be done, I just think the products and the markets are still immature - that's our challenge. The plus side is that we've got amazing skills and talent. Fibre optic was invented here in Essex; Marconi was here in Chelmsford, so we've got a lot of history and skills to build on.
"So can Essex do it? Yes, Essex can but I think in bite-size chunks. If we did a mass rollout we may jump too soon. I think it's better for us to do experimental stuff, learn, test out hypothesis and if we change this junction in this way it becomes a behavioural science thing," he said.
In a recent report, Essex was listed as “a leading example of a county council driving change strategically across districts” for its Smart Essex strategy.