Public in the dark over e-government

Promise of e-government undermined by lack of awareness

The British public's lack of knowledge over what government services can be accessed online could undermine the Transformational Government agenda, according to research.

A survey of UK citizens identified huge latent appetite for e-government services, but that is being undermined by a lack of awareness – which respondents cited as the major reason for not using existing services.

The lack of awareness was underscored by the behaviour of internet users.

While 92 per cent of those surveyed shop online and 81 per cent used online banking, just 41 per cent had paid their car tax online and only 22 per cent paid council tax online.

Low take-up of services threatens government's ability to deliver on the projected cost savings of its Transformational Government agenda, said Alwyn Welch, chief executive of IT services group Parity, which commissioned the research.

"Most importantly, local authorities and central departments alike must listen to what the public wants to do online and provide those services, not just the ones that are easy to move online or help them tick a box," he said.

Last month, Tom Watson, minister for digital engagement, said that the Transformational Government agenda had already realised savings of £26.5bn, and predicted that would rise to £35bn by 2011.