E-government: A comprehensive survey by the local authority IT
managers' body Socitm has found that town hall Web sites are
improving but still only four can be classified as transactional.
James Rogers reports
Despite significant improvements to local government Web sites in
the past year, council IT departments still have work to do as they
approach the Government's 2005 target for getting services online,
a report from the Society of Information Technology Management
(Socitm) has found.
The Better Connected 2002? report provides a definitive snapshot of
Web development across local government.
Martin Greenwood, programme manager of Socitm Insight, a best
practice division of the society, which conducted the study, said
councils are at least heading in the right direction. He said, "The
majority of councils are making advances but there is still room
for improvement to meet the 2005 target."
The report assserts that e-government is about much more than just
building a Web presence. Online services have to be specifically
geared towards users. Moreover, successful e-government also
involves using IT to improve contact through existing channels such
as council offices.
Greenwood said although 2005 is a useful target "it should not be
regarded as the 'be all and end all' of Web site development".
Councils should think about what their customers want in terms of
information and services from local authority Web sites, he
added.
Now in its fourth year, the annual study reviewed Internet services
offered by all of the UK's 467 local authorities. The survey, which
was carried out between November and December 2001, involved
researchers visiting all Web sites managed by councils.
Using a structured questionnaire, they evaluated the sites' ability
to respond to the needs of typical local authority customers, as
well as testing performance in the area of joined-up government.
This involved examining interactive applications, community
leadership, usability and responsiveness to e-mail. Accessibility
for those with disabilities and technical performance were also
tested.
The good news is that more than a quarter of council Web sites have
shown substantial improvement in the past 12 months. Indeed, one of
the most positive findings was that Web sites are generally
increasing their levels of interactivity. Researchers found that
the number of transactions that can be performed online has
increased fivefold in the past year.
However, only four local authorities - Tameside Metropolitan
Borough Council, London Borough of Camden, Westminster City Council
and Hertfordshire County Council - are classified as having
transactional Web sites. This is a reminder that it is still early
days for UK e-government.
The report warned that there is "a world of difference between a
site that is basically a provider of information with a few
transactions added to it and one that is truly focused on customer
needs". It also suggested that funding could well be a barrier to
building transactional Web sites for many councils, especially the
shire districts.
Money is, as ever, a factor in implementing new technology. In
December 2001 the Department of Transport, Local Government and the
Regions announced that every local authority in England would be
allocated capital grants totalling £400,000 over the next two years
to meet the e-government agenda.
This funding, which is part of the £350m spending review pledged in
2000, is linked to guarantees that councils meet targets set
out in their Implementing Electronic Government statements, which
were submitted last year. It should be noted that £25m of the £350m
has already been allocated to Pathfinder projects.
Further announcements about the distribution of the remaining funds
are expected with the launch of the National Local Government
Online Strategy, which government officials predict is imminent. A
number of councils appear to be waiting for this before moving to
the next stage of developing their online presence.
Greenwood acknowledged that lack of funding could prove an issue
for councils but urged them to focus on managing their Web presence
as effectively as they can. He said, "Local authorities must
embrace the fact that Web sites are a strategic resource and act on
the management issues raised in this report."
A number of councils seem to be taking this advice - the report
found that the best local authority Web sites perform technically
as well as private sector ones. The top sites even outperformed
their private sector counterparts in terms of access for disabled
people.
For Greenwood, however, one of the most important features of the
survey is that councils must realise the true nature of the
e-government challenge. He said, "This report shows us that it is
hard work to sustain a good Web site, it requires a lot of hard
work behind the scenes to make everybody realise the role they have
to play."
Key results of the Socitm survey
- All but three (out of 467) local authorities now have Web
sites
- Web sites are generally increasing their interactivity with the
number of transactions increasing at least fivefold over the past
12 months
- The number of transactional sites has increased from one in
2001 to four in 2002
- More than one in four (about 120 Web sites) has improved to the
extent that they have moved up one level in Socitm's four-level
ranking system
- London boroughs have improved the most and now have the most
mature Web sites
- The result from Socitm's sample e-mail test is a disappointing
"step backwards" from last year's test
- Local government Web sites are continuing to improve in terms
of access for disabled people and compare favourably with other
sectors
- The best local authority sites perform technically as well as
their private sector counterparts.