Local Authorities struggle with Online Targets as Citizens Advice reject Usefulness

The Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm), the professional association for ICT managers working in and for the public sector, has found that government and local authority websites are falling short of meeting the needs of those citizens most likely to require information and services from these organisations. So says their collaboration with Citizens Advice, the charity representing the national network of Citizens Advice Bureaux.

"Better connected: Advice to citizens" reports on the ability of central government and local authority websites to provide relevant information and services in response to enquiries in areas like benefits, housing, health, debt, legal proceedings, consumer complaints and relationship breakdown. These areas were chosen as the focus of the research since they cover the majority of the six million problems reported each year to Citizens Advice Bureaux across the UK.

Assuming the position of a citizen with problems in these areas, researchers tested government websites with a series of likely questions. On disability benefits, for example, the Department of Work and Pensions website was interrogated with questions like:
* 'Does the site explain the eligibility criteria?',
* 'Can the application form (for benefit) be completed and returned electronically?', and
* 'Are there instructions on what to do if you do not understand or cannot provide all documentation?'.

This depressing news has now been joined by figures from the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (Solace) that suggest most local authorities are behind schedule in hitting the government’s target of putting public services online by 2005.

56% of respondents did not believe that services would be fully e-enabled within their own organisation by 2005. As has been noted in these pages before, the rhetoric has changed over the last year from 'all services online' to 'key' services online.

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