Councils lag behind e-government target

Many councils are having difficulty implementing a secure communications infrastructure

More than a quarter of local authorities in England and Wales have applied for exemption from a deadline to implement a secure communications infrastructure that would allow them to exchange information with central government and other councils, Computing has learned.

The government had hoped that all 410 councils would be able to satisfy the necessary security controls - known as the Code of Connection - to enable links to the £33m Government Connect network by 31 March this year. But so far 106 authorities have asked for an extension.

The deadline was set by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which said that after that date all housing data will only be accessible through Government Connect.

The DWP even pledged £2.25m to assist local authorities, as well as setting up a panel of experts to provide councils with best practice and help them meet the deadline.

But this funding, and help from the panel, has not been immediately forthcoming, according to Richard Steel, president of public sector user group Socitm.

"We are concerned about slippage in the provision of this funding and the advisory panel. We know it is in hand, but it has taken too long," he said.

"We remain absolutely committed to the Government Connect scheme, but the fact that these things have taken so long makes the deadlines very challenging. "

Some councils have also raised concerns over a Security Policy Framework that sets out new IT security requirements to which all public sector bodies must adhere.

But Simon Norbury, head of architecture and business design at Government Connect, said that local authorities should not worry about it affecting their work immediately.

"The changes will have no direct impact on the Code of Connection. Councils should continue to work on their statements of compliance as they are currently doing," he said.

Councils whose Code of Connection has been approved will not need to be reassessed to check whether they meet the new security requirements.

The Government Connect scheme ­- now eight years old and still unfinished -­ will also allow councils to exchange data securely with the N3 NHS network, criminal justice, trading standards and police systems.