Government Websites - United Kingdom

Articles and resources about government websites in the United Kingdom.

Atkinson Review, United Kingdom - Archive

Report on plans to improve further measurement of the United Kingdom output in public service spendings.

Cabinet Office e-Government Unit, United Kingdom - Archive

Articles about the Cabinet Office e-Government Unit, which works with departments to deliver efficiency savings while improving the delivery of public services by joining up electronic government services around the needs of customers.

Channels framework: delivering government services in the new economy, United Kingdom - Archive

This Channel Framework document sets out the direction for public sector organisations to plan and shape the future development of channel strategies for the delivery of electronic services.

Delivering e-enabled public service reform - The framework for e-government, United Kingdom - Archive

To help the UK Government provide successful e-government services, an IT best practice network composed of major private sector companies has published on 12 May 2004 a “framework” for e-government.

Dotgovlabs Innovation Hub

The UK DotGovLabs Innovation Hub is a virtual space enabling digital innovation of public services. It is part of the Cabinet Office Skunkworks programme and is backed by Francis Maude and with wide participation from across government. It aims to nurture digital innovation from outside government from the people who know digital. It is the part of the skunkworks programme that looks to ask the external community to show government what it should be doing with digital.

eGovernment: part 1 - United Kingdom - Archive

Articles and resources about trends and issues in egovernment in the United Kingdom.

eGovernment: part 2 - United Kingdom - Archive

Articles and resources about trends and issues in egovernment in the United Kingdom.

Gershon Review, United Kingdom - Archive

Articles and resources about "Releasing resources to the front line: independent review of the public sector efficiency", by Sir Peter Gershon in 2004.

National Audit Office, United Kingdom - Archive

Articles and resources about the UK departments’ progress in achieving e-government.

Parliament, House of Commons, United Kingdom - Archive

Articles and resources about the United Kingdom parliamentary information and communication infrastructure.

The Government Gateway - United Kingdom - Archive

Articles and resources about the United Kingdom Government Gateway.

The Interactive Guide to Connected Government (IGCG), United Kingdom - Archive

This guide was produced by the UK’s e-Government Unit to help public authorities adopt common infrastructure and generic e-government components.

Transformational Government Enabled by Technology

The vision is about better using technology to deliver public services and policy outcomes that have an impact on citizens’ daily lives: through greater choice and personalisation, delivering better public services, such as health, education and pensions; benefiting communities by reducing burdens on front line staff and giving them the tools to help break cycles of crime and deprivation; and improving the economy through better regulation and leaner government.

Work Foundation, United Kingdom - Archive

The Work Foundation is a not-for-profit research and consultancy organisation that focuses on improving productivity and improving the quality of working life. It has been commissioned to carry out a programme of research examining the role of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in improving the quality of public services.

e-Government Unit

The UK "eGU's mission is: "ensuring that IT supports the business transformation of Government itself so that we can provide better, more efficient, public services." The Prime Minister, Tony Blair. The e-Government Unit (eGU) is the largest unit in the Cabinet Office. We are responsible for: formulating information technology (IT) strategy and policy; developing common IT components for use across government; promoting best practice across government; delivering citizen-centred online services..."

Opinion: Why data needs to be at the heart of everything your council does

Posted by Gary Flood. Public Technology, 15 May 2012. "Rainer Majcen of Arvato UK & Ireland is convinced only joined-up data at the heart of customer demand strategies can help local government deal with change Channel shifts towards self-service is being touted as a major trend over the next twelve months. Given that most local authorities have cut as deeply as they can, yet savings are still needing to be made, there's no shock there. The logic goes, therefore, if you've done all you can to streamline suppliers, what can be done to reduce or redirect demand for council services?..."

Digital public services: putting the citizen in charge, not the state

Cabinet Office, 25 April 2012. "On its front page on 24 April, the Guardian ran an article on government data sharing plans which misrepresented statements the Government has made concerning existing data sharing arrangements. Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude today made a statement in response, pointing to the Government’s commitment to putting the citizen in charge, not the state... In June the Cabinet Office will publish, in a white paper, plans for improving data-linking across government. What will not be published in this white paper are any "fast-track" proposals that would require changes to the existing legislative landscape. Any such proposals will need careful consideration with the involvement of the public and interest groups with whom we will continue to engage..."

Community service portals: engagement and enhanced services?

Councils shouldn't be afraid to invest in technology to create community hubs. They will save money in the long run, by Paul Smith. Guardian Professional, Tuesday 3 April 2012. "Could local government close the service funding gap by using community service portals? The idea has smouldered in the corridors of Whitehall and among local government IT managers without ever really catching fire. In theory, moving local authorities' counter-based services entirely online could find billions of pounds of savings over the long term. Research carried out by Socitm originally identified potential savings of between £4.83 and £9.56 for each transaction when using online services instead of traditional face-to-face methods..."

Budget pledge on online services: 'so simple even an MP can use them'

Budget sets out plan to make all transactional services digital by default and so easy to use that ministers must be able to demonstrate how they work, by Jo Best. Guardian Professional, Wednesday 21 March 2012. "Whitehall has given itself three years to make sure all transactional government services are 'digital by default.' Making sure services can be accessed online has been a priority for the government for some time as it offers a way of saving money on delivering frontline services. Universal credit is set to be the first government service to be digital by default when it launches in 2013..."

Digital public services cost a fraction of Labour's spending

publicservice.co.uk, 9 February 2012. "Better handling of the government's digital presence and its IT resources will mean public services cost a "fraction" of the amount they did under Labour, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has said. Quizzed on IT procurement Maude told MPs that opportunities to deal with IT "very differently" from the Gordon Brown and Tony Blair years, and to increase the government's digital offering in transactional public services were becoming increasingly clear..."

Digital – the channel of choice for public services

By Matthew D'Arcy. Publicservice.co.uk, 26 January 2012. "Taking government services online presents a range of economic and social benefits, as well as giving government reliable data about what people want from their services. But the digital move will ultimately mean shutting down other channels, Public Service Events' Digital by Default conference was told..."

Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, opens the new home of the Government Digital Service

by Mike Bracken. Government Digital Service, 8 December 2011. "... the benefits are already visible: Collaboration across projects becomes easier. For example, the identity team can now work with platform developers to devise future IDA services. We have already hosted colleagues from DWP, HMRC, MoJ/OPG and Constitutional Affairs, and continue to help them devise future digital services. The Government in its wider sense now has a digital home, and it’s from here we can help drive a new generation of digital public services. Cross-Government working, for so long an abstract concept, is starting to happen around this digital centre. And we will continue to throw our doors open to suppliers and partners..."

Single domain too expensive and complicated, claims supplier poll

Posted by John Lamb. Public Technology, 9 November 2011. "Public sector IT managers are questioning the feasibility of the government’s plan to roll its 750 sites into a single portal, according to a survey..."

Government 'badly needs' digital talent to transform public services

Publicservice.co.uk, 25 October 2011. "There are not enough people with "deep digital experience" in the public sector and as government makes more of its services digital by default, more world-class digital talent is needed now, a senior civil servant has warned. Mike Bracken, who was appointed as the government's executive director for digital earlier in 2011 said he had seen "a few raised eyebrows" after getting the go ahead to hire in these "straitened times"..."

Piloting new ways of measuring digital success

This post was contributed by Joanne Inskip, Senior Customer Insight Manager at the Government Digital Service. Government Digital Service, 27 September 2011. "At the start of 2011, the GDS Customer Insight team were given the task of developing a research methodology that could: - Measure the performance of digital government services (specifically: task completion rates, time taken, drop out points, user comprehension and satisfaction) - Be used on the live services as well as those in development - Blend behavioural data with perception data - Be rolled out across government to provided consistent measures for digital transactions As a result, a study called the Summative Test was born. The name of the test is meant to signify finality. Its primary purpose is to measure a service's performance, rather than to inform interaction design. The test is administered when a service is live or at the end of the design iteration cycle (but pre-build) for new services..."

The 2011 UK Public Sector Digital Awards Need YOU!

Public Technology, 2 August 2011. "The countdown has just begun for this year's UK Public Sector Digital Awards - the new name and format for the widely-respected e-Government National Awards. As you will probably know, the process is all about celebrating the projects and initiatives in the UK public sector that best showcase the impact and positive contribution ICT can make..."

Government digital activity encouraged in public services white paper

Posted by Lucie Mitchell. Public Technology, 12 July 2011. "The government is seeking to encourage technological innovation and remove 'current barriers to digital delivery' as part of its plans to reform public services..."

Floodgates: Born digital? Die crumbly, more like

Posted by Gary Flood. Public Technology, 11 July 2011. "As we know, the Order of the Day is digital by default. Going forward, the state wants to work with us on an increasingly electronic basis. The plug for this on our side is convenience and alleged synergy with what we do with our iPads and HTC phones anyway; and as we all know, from government's p.o.v., moving online equals big savings off the public sector bottom line. Great. But has anyone asked the punters?..."

Government plans marketplace for digital services

White paper on public services includes role of body in coordinating all government digital activity, by Mark Say. Guardian Professional, Tuesday 12 July 2011. "The government plans to develop a marketplace for digital transactions and information services, run by the Government Digital Service (GDS), as part of its efforts to create more open public services..."

e-Government

Articles and resources about trends and issues in the adoption of e-Government services.