Press releases

ntl research suggests Councils will get services online by 2005 deadline

• 98% of Local Government organisations claim they will have services online to meet 2005 e-Government targets
• But only 12% of citizens are aware of e-Government drive
• Southampton Council develops call centre facility to make public services more accessible to local citizens

11th January 2005 – The UK’s e-Government drive looks set to hit 2005 targets, according to new research findings from ntl, a leading provider of communications services in the South. The study, conducted in parallel among UK Local Government organisations and a sample of citizens, highlights significant progress in the roll-out of e-Government, but also uncovers a lack of awareness among the general public and a fragmented approach to this ambitious transformation of the delivery of Public Services.

98% of Local Government organisations claim to be on track to meet the 2005 targets set by Central Government. Yet, hampered by time and budget restrictions, stress levels are up for nearly half of those individuals surveyed. Furthermore, for the quarter of authorities not yet at implementation stage the clock is really ticking.

Southampton Council has already made a significant contribution to making public services more accessible to local citizens by installing an advanced call centre solution. The system supports citizen enquiries into the Council’s Housing Services department. Working with ntl, the authority upgraded its call centre capacity, improving the efficiency with which incoming calls are handled, and boosting its customer service capability.

ntl’s research shows that over two thirds of citizens are keen to pay taxes or fines online, log-on to vote or access entertainment or information services over the Internet. And, with 85% keen to access services outside of office hours, it looks like e-Government services such as those provided by Southampton City Council, could be a winner.

David Bennett at Southampton City Council, said: “Implementing advanced communications is crucial to the drive to modernise and deliver more citizen-focused services. We are striving to become more accessible to citizens and efficient call centre operations for those that use our housing service are a vital part of this.”

However for Local Governments such as Southampton, educating the public about the new services is vital to ensure they maximize the benefits. The ntl research found the Public Sector believes that 40% of Internet-users are aware of electronic services, yet only 12% of the UK’s Internet-savvy population are aware of the drive for e-Government.

Ray O'Brien, Business Services Director for the South at ntl’s business division, said: “e-Government has proved an enormous challenge for the Public Sector, from the commercial question of funding and the technical problems of implementation through to the social issue of bridging the digital divide. With 98% of organisations on track to meet the 2005 deadline the future for e-Government looks promising. By laying the groundwork early on, Southampton Council is well placed to deliver long-term and widespread benefits.”

In spite of local initiatives in Southampton to modernise public services, the research findings also unveil a fragmented approach to e-Gov services and the possibility of a ‘postcode lottery’ for citizens elsewhere in the UK. Despite Central Government’s emphasis on improving joined up working with other public sector organisations such as health and education, this is viewed by Local Authorities as of secondary importance to putting services online and enabling electronic interaction with citizens. In contrast, 73% of the public would encourage this approach.