Whitehall has asked local authorities submit details of their e-government plans in order to qualify for funding over the next three years. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issued a new "pro forma" on 21 July 2003 asking for councils to supply information based around six areas including expected expenditure, ways to improve take up of services and plans for local "e-organisations".
The launch of a new format for the return of the plans known as "IEG3 statements" followed lengthy consultation and aims to help local authorities as they prepare corporate plans of how they are approaching the task of e-service delivery.
The ODPM hopes that councils will find the new forms easier to fill in, simplifying what has previously been a complex process. It uses the responses from councils not only to allocate funding but also to help with its overall e-government plans.
The six areas that councils will have to cover are:
- how e-government will improve services for citizens;
- plans and progress of local e-organisation, as set out in the ODPM's National Strategy for e-Government, published in November 2002;
- how e-services are meeting the Government's Best Value Performance Indicator for Electronic Service Delivery;
- details of take-up;
- the development and management of technical services;
- current and forecast expenditure.
The ODPM expects to make a formal announcement of future IEG funding later in 2003, but authorities are required to submit their statements by the 10 November deadline on the basis that it will inform the distribution of £175m of capital funding in 2004/05 and £96.5m in 2005/06.
Quelle: Kablenet
