Public Sector News

Jane Inman, Communications and Information Manager, Environment and Economy, Warwickshire County Council (janeinman@warwickshire.gov.uk)

Better Connected?

It's ten years since SOCITM began to survey local authority websites and much has changed in that time. Their review this year shows continued improvement and recognition that local council websites are a core delivery channel. The report, Better connected 2008, is available on the SOCITM website but is only free to access for members. Others will need to pay £395 to order a copy. Scottish local authority websites have lagged behind those further south, but the survey shows that here too there are improvements. It is clear that as Web usage increases in other areas of life, there will be increasing demand for sophisticated, interactive websites on offer to anyone wanting to make contact with their local authority.

National Indicator 14

Local authorities were measured on their performance using an extensive set of Best Value Performance Indicators among other measures. These are being replaced with a smaller number of targets known as National Indicators. One of these concerns ‘avoidable contact'. An article in The Times In February interpreted this as councils not wanting to make contact with their customers, but it is really about making sure that contacts are sorted out at the first point of contact, and so repeat contact is not required. However, it also recognises that there are savings to be made by helping customers to access information themselves through the websites. Self-service through the website will be the preference for a growing number of people as Web access grows, but can also save councils money, since providing information and applications for services through this channel is considerably cheaper than by phone or face to face.

An end to spin

The Society of Public Information Networks (SPIN) will cease to exist. The organisation has been providing support to professionals using technology to provide public service information but has been unable to recruit volunteers for its board.

The Web and politics

The Centre for Policy Studies has produced a report that looks at the role of the Internet in politics. The report states that its use by politicians in the UK is lagging behind other countries. It predicts a similar level of impact as that of TV and radio in the twentieth century. The use of the Web to link to constituents would, the report suggests, re-empower politicians and bring greater scrutiny. The report Politics, Policy and the Internet can be found on the CPS website at www.cps.org.uk .

Blatant self-promotion!

Please look out for Finding British Official Information. Official publishing in the digital age by Jane Inman and Howard Picton, to be published by Chandos in May, if we can get it finished in time!