IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The government has a target of getting all services online by 2005, with a growing proportion able to allow citizens to deal directly with government to pay taxes and fines, claim benefits, fill in forms and undertake other transactions.

A report from the Auditor General said services were meant to be designed around the needs of the public, not the convenience of government structures.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has approved the creation of nine regional IT security information sharing networks to cover all English councils, officials said on 29 September 2005.

Architects and surveyors who are accredited under the Fast Track scheme can have their clients’ planning applications pushed through quickly to a planning officer for decision, so that the result comes through in five weeks rather than the usual 8 weeks.

Air Quality Management magazine examined all 428 local authority websites across the country to judge their air quality web pages. They assessed each site on two key factors, awarding marks out of five for quality of information and ease of use. In particular they looked at whether the air quality pages of the site are welcoming and logical, how much information is carried and whether this is kept up to date. They also judged the site on how easy it would be for a casual 'surfer' to find the air quality pages.

I've grown a few more grey hairs since writing my last column, in part due to finding myself sitting on a police working party on economic crime. Tony Blair has this week been extolling the virtues of identity cards and I'm typing this on a train as I head towards a meeting at the European parliament offices to discuss this and other security matters.

Web 2.0 technologies are changing the way government operates and interacts with the public worldwide. They present an opportunity for government CIOs to slash IT costs and transform internal collaboration using social technologies, a new report has found.

However, moves to use Web 2.0 capabilities to radically overhaul the government’s relationship with the electorate will need to overcome resistance, as it will have to address concerns over security of information, current commercial arrangements and the breakdown of hierarchies, if they are to succeed.

Swansea Council claims an online auction collaboration with a neighbouring council could pave the way for other Welsh authorities to save millions of pounds in the procurement of key contracts.

As part of its e-government programme, Swansea worked with Neath Port Talbot Council to procure by online auction a tinned and dried foods supplier for schools in a contract worth £1.3m per year. The auction will save the councils £650,000 over the next five years.

An online government portal for planning consultations has been designated as the preferred medium for applications after cutting costs and reducing carbon emissions by 75 per cent.

The portal, run and funded by the department of communities and local government, was launched this year and allows a planning application to be submitted to any local authority in England and Wales.

NHS Cumbria pilots a primary care software developer's system to share patient records from 13 General Practitioners (GP) practices serving 75 000 patients with the community health teams. The 'mobile clinicians', equipped with netbooks, are able to view a summary of the patient records during home consultations.

The tool is designed to help Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Practice-Based Commissioners and local authorities in Spearhead areas to understand the impact of simple, effective, evidence-based measures can have on the life expectancy gap of their local populations. It can be used as part of a comprehensive local strategy to reduce health inequalities

The site, which can be visited at www.sutton.gov.uk, contains details of council policies, agendas and minutes of meetings, as well as news on events in the borough.