Whitehall ramps up e-government efforts

The UK government has announced a £5m national campaign to raise public awareness and encourage take-up of council e-services.

'Lose the Queues' is set to launch in early 2006 and will highlight the benefits of accessing council services online, including flexibility, convenience and improved access to information.

Local e-government minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: "We are delighted with the achievements of the Local e-Government Programme, and our future plans are dependent on winning citizens round to the benefits of using e-services."

Since 2002, the Local e-Government Programme has seen councils working towards e-enabling local services by December 2005.

However, there is evidence that public interest in using council e-services remains low. Only half of the adult population of England are predisposed to use council e-channels, according to research by Mori for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

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