A key issue for local authorities highlighted by the report is the capacity of council officers and elected members to understand and deliver e-government, with almost three quarters identifying skills gaps, particularly in change management. Over half of councils report their officers lack the ability to evaluate or analyse the costs and benefits of e-government projects, and almost seven out of ten councils said members do not appreciate how e-government contributes to their strategic objectives. Notably, almost one in five local authorities said a lack of leadership and drive from chief executives, members or senior officers was creating difficulties when trying to set up e-government partnerships. Furthermore, around half have found that incompatible IT systems can cause problems when trying to work with other organisations.
Key findings from the survey include:
- Only 20 per cent of all councils present multi-lingual information via their e-enabled access channels, although the figure is higher for London Boroughs
- 37 per cent of local authorities - representing 101 councils - do not have a corporate eGovernment strategy in addition to their Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) statement; a further 27 per cent are developing one
- Virtually all authorities now have senior officer and elected member e-champions
- 21 per cent are currently developing a dedicated, comprehensive training programme for e-government
- Almost three-quarters have procedures in place to measure improvements in internal efficiencies due to eGovernment
- 84 per cent turn to external organisations for advice on procuring IT systems - most often from other local authorities or the private sector; a third seek advice from three or more different organisations
- 68 per cent of councils consult other local authorities when drawing up eGovernment strategies or IEG statements
- Few local authorities do not provide access to an intranet for any of its officers and members
- London Boroughs tend to provide IT facilities to a higher proportion of their officers and members than all other types of authority
- 91 per cent work in partnerships with other local authorities in relation to eGovernment; districts tend to form partnerships with their county councils
- Most county councils and unitaries now have eGovernment partnerships with private technology suppliers
- Local authorities are divided over whether suppliers actually understand their requirements when procuring e-systems and services
- Around half are making efforts to involve local businesses in developing their eGovernment programme
- 57 per cent state they are developing arrangements to monitor the impact of eGovernment on levels of public involvement; a third report an increase in public participation.
"This coupled with current capacity constraints may explain why many local authorities seem to favour a piecemeal approach to the implementation of eGovernment and are making changes in a more ad-hoc and informal way."
Findings from the survey will feed into a detailed evaluation of eGovernment processes which is due to be published in the Autumn.
Useful links
- Links by Country
- Yell.com
- Radiocommunications Agency
- ABC Electronic
- Internet Service Providers
- New Media Age
