Report highlights council spending on web sites despite budget cuts

Councils are spending on the internet, despite budget cuts

A report in The Telegraph states that councils are spending large sums on web site refreshes and redesigns, despite facing the largest funding cuts in their history.

The spend also needs to be viewed in the context that not all consumers of council services are internet users or have reliable internet access, especially in rural areas.

According to the report, up to a third of the UK population does not have access to broadband. Martha Lane Fox, the UK's digital champion said: " Shockingly, 10 million people in the UK have never used the internet."

The Telegraph said it has uncovered 10 examples of councils paying between £100,000 and £600,000 for web site redesigns and related technology improvements.

One of the biggest spenders was Birmingham City Council, which admitted last year that it had spent £2.8m on a web site redesign.

Additionally, Westminster Council has been criticised for spending nearly £1m on its site since 2008, despite having to cut about 300 jobs, and reportedly needing to fill a £20m hole in its finances.

This report comes shortly after a leaked document from the Department of Health revealed that the NHS maintains thousands of web sites that are difficult to find, badly designed and irrelevant to patient needs, at a cost of £86m per year.

Leicester City Council was recently criticised for purportedly considering a £40,000 spend on iPads, despite being on the verge of cutting 1,000 jobs.