Councils just miss e-target

Inflexible outsourcers to blame?

Inflexible outsourcing contracts and legal restraints have been blamed for local councils’ narrow failure to meet government targets to have all services online by the start of 2006.

According to figures published in Decemberi by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the average council was over 97 percent “e-enabled” at the turn of the year. Despite just missing its target, the government insisted the result was a success.

A spokesman said some councils had outsourced services, such as leisure facilities, without including clauses demanding online systems and would have to wait for contracts to be renewed before insisting on changes. He added the legal requirement for signatures in relation to some council services had also stopped them being fully e-enabled.