The Government has launched a drive to encourage more people to use online council services. The take-up campaign aims to push people towards using their local council website as the first port of call when doing everyday chores, such as finding information on rubbish collection, or paying bills. It will also herald the start of a wider communication program that will highlight the breadth of services that can be dealt with online from reporting abandoned cars to finding school term dates.
With over two-thirds of UK homes are connected to the internet, and over 10 million broadband connections, local government must capitalize on the potential cost savings that an increase in takeup of online services can bring. The £5m take-up campaign represents the culmination of a 5-year program of investment in local e-government.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Angela Smith, said: "We have invested in creating a world-class infrastructure, and independent research on the quality of councils' online services shows that that this money has been well spent. Our experience is that people already welcome the convenience of accessing council services online and the time this saves them in their busy lifestyles. The more people deal with councils via the web, the more resources this frees up for reinvesting in frontline services, which in turn brings additional benefits for local people.
The website at Connect to your Council asks users to choose a service, such as renewing library books or reporting abandoned vehicles, then supply their postcode. It then provides links to further information and web forms on the local authority site that the postcode relates to.
Quelle/Source: Government Technology, 12.05.2006
