Is there a planning application pending in your street? How long are hospital and school waiting lists? Find the answer to these questions, and more, with CW?'s guide to e-government.
You'll soon be able to access all government services online, at least if government meets its end-of-year deadline. In theory, you'll be able to check what day your rubbish collection falls over the Easter bank holidays, search for schools in your area, register with a GP, check hospital waiting lists, read the latest budget and even file your tax return electronically.
Access national government
The entry point to the UK's 'online government' is the Directgov website
www.direct.gov.uk. Directgov is a treasure trove of information about public services such as GPs, hospitals, the Inland Revenue and schools. You can also look up government papers such as details of the Lottery Bill, for example.
Navigation bar
Along the top of the Directgov website are five tabs, which will remain regardless of where you are on the site.
Directgov home takes you back to the home page. Info for arranges information according to personal circumstances and includes categories such as 'Disabled People', and 'Parents'. Info about has general information on topics such as 'Learning' and 'Money'. Quickfind lists directories of government services, including links to local councils. Finally, Newsroom is the place to go for government news, statements, publications and announcements.
Information central
The main part of the screen organises links under three main headings: 'Find what you need', 'Most popular services' and 'Directories'.
Find what you need contains general information on everything from Tax Basics to Travel. Click on Parenting and you'll find advice on how to choose the right childcare option, for example. Most popular services contains more specific information including a link to 'find a local school'. Simply enter your postcode to search for schools in your local area. The search presents key facts about each school including its religious affiliation, the number of pupils and its performance. Directories includes an A-to-Z of local councils.
Leaning to the right
The right-hand side of Directgov hosts News Headlines. Go to the bottom of the page, however, and hidden away is a useful link to 'Find forms online'; a tax-rebate form, say.
Interacting with government services
Most government services are still primarily accessible face-to-face, or by good old-fashioned phone calls or snail mail. But some government services now allow you to interact with them directly via the web. These services are grouped in a section called 'Do it online', under the Most popular services menu.
* File an electronic tax return |
* Land registry |
* Report non-emergency crimes |
* Renew or replace a passport
File an electronic tax return
One of the most popular government services online is filing an electronic tax return; you can also apply for child benefit and tax credits. Click 'Do it online' then 'Do it online by category' at the top of the page, then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click 'Money'. Click the link to 'Complete your Income Tax Self Assessment (SA) online', then the external link to Tax Self Assessment.
You should now find yourself on the Inland Revenue's website (www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk). You need to register with the Inland Revenue's website to be able to use the service – register under 'new user'. First you must tick, which service you need 'Child Benefit Online', 'Self Assessment Online' or 'Tax Credit Online' and click the Register button. Enter your name, email address and a password then click Continue.
The site will ask for your unique taxpayer reference, National Insurance number and postcode so make sure you have these to hand before you start.
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Land registry
Looking to move to a new area? The section entitled 'Find local property prices' is well worth a visit. The link jumps to the Land Registry website where you can enter your desired location (Stratford-On-Avon, say). The search engine will tell you the average price for a detached, semi-detached, terraced house, and a flat there.
It's also useful if you're selling your own property - just enter the postcode to discover the average price of a house or flat in your area.
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Report non-emergency crimes
You can also report non-emergency crimes from the 'Do it online' area of via Directgov (the link takes you to www.online.police.uk). First, click to say whether you are the victim of the crime. Next, pick the type of crime that you want to report; theft, criminal damage or vandalism, theft from a motor vehicle or damage to a motor vehicle. Next enter your name, then your contact details and click 'submit'. For emergencies, you should still dial 999.
In the event that you have information affecting national security you can also email MI5, anonymously, if you wish (www.mi5.gov.uk).
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Renew or replace a passport
You can renew or replace your passport (www.passport-applications.gov.uk) online. To be more accurate, you can pay for a new passport and fill out an application form. But, as online signatures are still some way off, to complete the process, you'll still have to sign and return a form sent to you by the Passport Service.
Accessing local services
Two thirds of contact between citizens and government happens at local level. Often, your local council's website is the best place to start if you're looking for a care home for a relative, need to find a school, pay your council tax or even book a squash court at the local sports centre. 'The average person wants to know whether a telephone mast is being put up next to their kid's school or whether there are plans to widen the road,' said Paul Smith, research director for e-government consultancy Kable.
www.one-ipswich.com
The good news is that all 355 English local government authorities (LGAs) have pledged to have their services online by year end. Ipswich Borough Council, for instance, is using a graphical information system (GIS), a piece of software that pulls together information about a place, and organises it on a geographical basis. The borough's online portal www.one-ipswich.com has a map on its home page divided into five key areas. By clicking on their area residents can search local services such as 'advice and support', 'wildlife' and 'nature and parks'.
Bracknell Forest Council has also embraced e-government. Local residents can pay their council tax, make mortgage repayments or pay rent online. 'I want a website not a notice board,' said Councillor Paul Bettison, leader of Bracknell Forest and e-government champion for the Local Government Association (LGA). 'My residents are accustomed to setting up a standing order to pay their council tax at four in the morning using online banking; they get hacked off if they can't tell us that they've done it at 4:10am,' he continued.
Alternatively, if a Bracknell Forest local suspects their neighbour is trying to sneak through a controversial planning application, they can look it up on the website. Equally, if they're awaiting a planning application decision of their own, they can monitor its progress electronically.
The website is also making it easier for the 6,200 council tenants in the borough to report a fault, such as a blocked sink, with a couple of mouse clicks. 'The website features a schematic diagram of the house; tenants can click on the room where there's a problem, and then, for example, click on the sink if that's where the problem is, they can even select the u-bend. When the technician comes he knows exactly what the problem is and is more likely to have the part on board,' says Bettison.
Bracknell Council has also introduced what Bettison claims to be 'the world's most multi-application smart card.' Dubbed 'The Edge', the card is available to all local residents. Schools in the Borough Council are making good use of the cards, which can be topped up with dinner money as a kind of electronic purse (parents can even stipulate how much cash pupils can spend per day) and is also used to register pupils in the morning.
E-citizen project
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has invested £2.5 million in the 'e-citizen' project, which is designed to ensure that all citizens have the same access to local government services, regardless of where they live. The first stage, just reaching completion, is to ask every local authority who they hope to reach with online services, how they're doing it and how successful they've been. The second, bigger, challenge is to inform local residents about the services they can access online. 'If you ask people what they want from a council website they can't vocalise it but once they visit the site they are keen to get involved,' said Neil Wholey, head of e-government research for MORI.
Until the e-citizen project really takes off, you can find your own local council via Directgov using the A-to-Z of local councils (under
Quickfind).
WEBSITE LINKSDirectgov
E-citizenIDeA (Improvement and Development Agency)Inland RevenueLocal Government Association</b>
MI5
NHS
UK Passport Services
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