Government to scrap 75 per cent of its web sites

And halve the cost of the remaining 25 per cent

The Cabinet Office has said that no more government websites can be set up without the permission of a Whitehall efficiency board

Francis Maude has said the government will scrap three-quarters of the government’s 820 web sites, according to the Daily Telegraph.

He explained that all government sites will be subject to a review looking at cost, usage and whether they could share resources better. The review will report back in September.

In addition to cutting 75 per cent of its web sites, the government said it plans to halve the cost of those that survive the cull.

Also, the Cabinet Office has said that no more government web sites can be set up without the permission of a Whitehall efficiency board, chaired by Chancellor George Osborne and Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury.

Maude told the Daily Telegraph: “The days of 'vanity sites' are over. It is not good enough to have websites which do not deliver the high quality services which people expect and deserve.

“That is why we will take tough action to get rid of those which are not up to the job and do not offer good value for money and introduce strict guidelines for those that remain.”

A report from the Central Office for Information found that £94m was spent on the construction, set up and running costs of just 46 sites. The government also spent £32m on staff costs for those sites in 2009-10.