UK local authorities in race to meet the e-Government targets

The 1 April 2006 deadline, set by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), is part of the local e-Government Programme, to transform council services in an effort to make them more efficient and effective through electronic service delivery.

Some councils’ Web sites have gone through a seismic shift for the better in their quality and content. Dated and basic Web sites with static information have instead been replaced by transactional Web sites with dynamic content that compare well with those of the commercial sector. Local residents no longer have to visit or telephone council offices to benefit from their services. Instead they can view planning applications, pay council tax bills, or report graffiti all via the Web.

However, the success of these services will depend on how they have been implemented behind the scenes. Councils have limited resources. They can only cope with service delivery via another channel, and the increases in demand that it is likely to generate, by streamlining and making all relevant business processes more efficient.

Therefore, the councils that will be most successful at delivering e-Government services are likely to be those that have taken IEG as an opportunity for organizational change and improved business processes. They are most likely to have addressed the requirements in a corporate and joined-up way – thus when demand for e-services increases they will be able to meet it whilst maintaining service delivery through other channels. In time on-line services will replace their service delivery via paper-based and the more costly traditional methods, resulting in efficiency savings.

For other councils there is still time to review and improve their business processes whilst take up of e-Government remains low. Once demand increases, then so will the probability of their on-line services failing to be timely and accurate, which could delay Return on Investment (ROI) and create a negative customer experience.

Source: OpinionWire by Butler Group (www.butlergroup.com)