SOCITM Conference points Way for Local Council E-Services

Perhaps of most interest to a usability audience evaluating the Socitm conference this year was a talk by Jane Wreford, the Audit Commission's Southern Regional Director. She described how Best Value Reviews look beyond the 'usual generic issues of cost-effectiveness and service efficiency, to seek evidence that e-government services are integrated around user needs; that transactions can be carried out online; that e-government services offer greater citizen participation; that web sites offer reliable 24-hour access to services; that physical, sensory and cultural access issues are addressed; and that back-office systems are properly geared up to support whizzy web interfaces'.

The conference has been written up as a series of reports on the Socitm website and there is a wealth of material showing the key issues of interest in local government online service development. Reports are all by Dan Jellinek, editor of e-government bulletin.

The Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm) is the professional association for ICT managers working in and for the public sector. Members are drawn primarily from local authorities but also from the police and fire services, housing authorities and other locally delivered public services.

Associated Link: Socitm conference reports

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