By using e-channels that appeal to young and time hungry citizens, councils can expect to buck the trend of falling engagement rates associated with traditional consultation methods. Local authorities can also make some savings by using e-channels and meet vital government targets associated with e-government and the newer agendas of CPA and neighbourhoods.
The tangible benefits include:
- Meeting government targets (CPA, PSO etc): HIGH VALUE
- Service improvement / added value: USEFUL
- Cost and efficiency gains: SMALLER but will add to business case.
The study also makes the case for e-democracy from the stakeholders point of view. Councillors can expect to improve their role of scrutiny and representation with tools such as: councillor websites, blogging and online surgeries. Officers can expect to better inform citizens, gather views and feedback findings into service delivery using tools such as, e-petitioning and e-panels. While citizens and communities can expect to organise and campaign more effectively with tools such as Issues Forums and BBC Action Network.
The study has drawn on the experiences of national project pilots in different types of local authorities throughout the country. Success stories include:
Bristol conducted 12 consultations in 10 months using e-Panels. To do this by conventional means would have cost a total of £96,000. Using e-Panels the cost was less than £40,000.
One young person in Kingston started an e-Petition when funding was withdrawn from a local voluntary organisation that offered youth advice and counselling. The petition received over 200 signatures in 2 days, and the organisation was helped to rebuild its services
Approximately 23,732 citizens read one of the 10 Councillor blogs over a period of 12 months. If one councillor at each Local Authority blogged, it is estimated that between 350,000 and 2.5 million citizens would read one each month.
The benefits study is a valuable guide for councils and is available for download from: www.edemocracy.gov.uk from 1 February, 2006.
*Local authorities, officers and councillors, are encouraged to attend a series of free regional conferences to find out more about e-democracy - its benefits; products and case studies. London – 31 January; Bristol – 1 February; Leeds – 8 February. Details and registration at www.idea.gov.uk/events
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Notes for Editors:
For more information contact: Jane Ratford on 0207 296 6869;
mob: 07799 768534; email: Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!
About the local e-Democracy National Project
Democratic engagement is at the heart of the political process and a healthy democracy can only be sustained if it is easy and accessible for citizens to get involved. A key way of doing this is to open up e-channels.
The local e-democracy project includes:
products for councils, such as:
- e-panels & forums,
- micro-democracy
- accessible icons;
products for councillors, such as:
- blogging,
- guidance on websites
- a national councillors database
- online surgeries;
and products for citizens and communities, such as:
- e-petitioning;
- democracy games for young people.
All these products are available at the projects website: www.edemocracy.gov.uk together with case studies; how to guides; route maps and toolkits.
Local e-democracy is one of 22 national projects initiated and funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as part of an £80m programme. Offering councils cost-effective, proven products, the national projects are part of the government’s national strategy for local e-government.
For further information please contact: Paul Bailey on 020 7296 6529
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Quelle: eGov monitor,, 01.02.2006
