E-Government

Redditch Borough Council has changed the way it delivers services, after asking residents and staff how things could be done better.

What is e-Government or electronic Government?

Can I find out about what Redditch Council is doing with e-Government?

Can I make a comment to the Council about e-Government?

What is e-Government or electronic government?

E-Government or electronic government is about using new technologies, such as the internet, to deliver a more customer-focussed service from the public sector. People want to be able to communicate with government at a time and in a way that is most convenient to them, rather than being restricted by opening hours and locations of government offices. Redditch Borough Council has outlined its commitment to this programme of action in its Implementing Electronic Government Statement.

E-Government is also concerned with getting the public sector business to work more efficiently by using internet and other technologies. This is a huge programme for change and will involve significant investment in staff time and other resources, but this investment will focus on cutting bureaucracy so that more resources can be put into delivering a quality service.

E-government is also "joined-up" government. This means improving communications between public sector agencies such. For example, if an elderly person needs care after an illness, they may be in contact with the Social Work Services at the Council, the Health Services, the Benefits Agency and possibly a privately-run home. We want to make sure that the elderly person is properly supported throughout this process, and to do this, members of staff from each of these organisations need to be kept up to date on the case in a timely fashion - this can be achieved through the use of common technology.

Finally e-government is about keeping our citizens involved in local democracy. The turnout for elections has become disappointing, so to encourage people to participate in future elections, alternative ways of voting may be supported, for example over the telephone, in a kiosks or over a secure link on the internet. There is also other ways of promoting local citizenship, such as standing for local Community Councils or finding out about local groups and activities. Technology can help make information available to people so that they can find out what they need to know when they need to know it.

If you would like further information about the UK Government's targets and goals for electronic government please see the Office of the e-Envoy website.

Related Documents

IT Best Value Report  (92.00 KB)

Redditch IEG Statement 3  (642.68 KB)

Redditch IEG Statement 4.5  (209.10 KB)