Communities and Local Government
A selection of images representing communities.
Direct contact 020 7944 4400- contactus@communities.gov.uk
Overview
A study of public services online published by the European Union in 2005 found that the UK's were the most sophisticated at serving the citizen in any of the countries studied. However, MORI research undertaken for the e-Citizen National Project in the same year provided clear evidence that usage of council e-channels lagged considerably behind public interest in using them.
On 11 November 2005, Local e-Government Minister Jim Fitzpatrick announced a £5 million local e-service take-up campaign designed to raise citizen awareness of the local authority e-services available. The campaign was officially launched on 8 May the following year.
The first phase of the national Campaign took place between May - July 2006, and included radio, print and online advertising promoting the existing online services available. The second phase of the campaign (September - October 2006) promoted online schools admissions. In November 2007, the third phase of the campaign began with planning applications being added to the roster of online services. See the Take-Up Campaign Media Plan: Summer/Autumn 2007 for more information.
Research and evaluation
The Campaign has already shown some positive results:
- There have been over half a million visits to www.direct.gov.uk/mycouncil (external link).
- The wider impact of the Campaign is shown by independent take-up research by both SOCITM and Hitwise showing up to 10 per cent of visitors to council websites in June arriving via Directgov.
- Most popular of the 16 council services advertised to date include jobs, schools information, bins and rubbish collection, library books and disposal of garden waste.
- The Campaign's 'fly-tipping' advert was the monthly winner of the ANNA (Awards for National Newspaper Advertising) for May 2006.
- The Campaign's 'library book renewals' radio advert won the Aerial Award for excellence in creative radio advertising for July 2006.
