The key objective of the programme was to ‘improve accessibility to public services via the internet by bringing together Directgov and Local Authority online services into a single offering.’
To understand the purpose of the programme its important to look at the benefits the programme has afforded both citizens and Local Authorities.
1) To serve citizens more effectively through eGovernment:
The benefits for citizens include a more convenient, easy to access range of services which will serve citizens better and meet the demands of modern life. Recognising that 80% of citizen transactions with government occur through local not central authorities, Local Directgov drives traffic to local authority websites from Directgov (currently the third most visited UK Government website with well over 2 million visitors each month, a figure that is constantly rising).
The solution also provides a more joined up government service offering that enables citizens to transcend physical boundaries and helps them to interact with their own and other authorities more easily. From reserving library books online, reporting a street lamp problem, to applying for benefits or renewing a passport online, citizens will now be able to access local and central government services from home, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 365 days of the year.
Whilst some regional portals exist to provide a similar function, there is no other website which enables access to every single English authority, with links that are agreed and maintained by each local authority for maximum accuracy.
There are currently over 2000 gov.uk sites. Local Directgov offers a single point of entry to all government services (www.direct.gov.uk) which is easy to remember and reduces the frustrations of dealing with complex, multiple government sources. This service is particularly useful when a citizen does not know which local authority they need in order to access a specific service, or whether to contact a central or local body regarding a specific enquiry.
It also enables a more joined-up approach to e-government, for instance, where information is spread across a number of departments or local authorities or in cases where citizens live on ‘borderlines’. It is also be of particular use in instances where a citizen wishes to make a transaction on behalf of another relative living elsewhere in the country, or in the case of a re-location from one local authority area to another. Gone are the days of needing to know exactly which local authority or central government department is responsible for each service or of ‘being passed from pillar to post’.
2) To create organizational transformation and e-inclusion through eGovernment:
The Local Directgov Programme will help local authorities to meet efficiency targets through cost and time savings, cross-selling of Government services as well as an integrated and focused customer marketing. These efficiency targets will be met as the customers channel switch from telephone, face-to-face and postal queries to the significantly cheaper online channel.
It also supports front line staff by reducing the need for phone calls and paperwork, in a future of online ‘factsheets’, to enhance call centre service support and of self-service and filling in forms online. The Programme will not only support the efficiency of local authorities in this respect, but also partner organisations.
The efficiency gains created by increasing take up of local e-services and self-service will free up staff time and enable the re-distribution of limited resources towards supporting those who need help most.
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