Methodology
Central and local government has adopted the target of making all services available electronically by December 2005. This does not mean that all services should be provided on the web, to the exclusion of other ways of delivering them. It does however mean that Internet technologies should be used to make services available in people's homes, on websites, over the telephone and at council offices and one-stop shops in ways that are convenient and helpful to users.
To reflect the differing aspirations and relative starting points of local authorities, a series of grades has been established for each of the Standards. These will help local authorities to understand where they are now and where they need to be.
The following grading structure has been developed to help develop short , medium and long term goals:
Minimum - the Minimum Standards
A local authority with a Minimum Standard will be capable of delivering all appropriate departmental services electronically.
Progressing - the Progressing Standard is between Minimum and Excellent.
A local authority with a Progressing Standard will have made substantial progress towards Excellence in delivering Departmental services.
Excellent - the Excellent Standard
A local authority with an Excellent Standard will be utilising best practice in delivering Departmental services.
Standards will contain best practice in the following areas that are relevant to the current local Government agenda in light of the current focus on efficiency savings.
Customer focused Standards -
Standards that relate to the provision of customer focused services. In most cases these will have a direct and measurable impact on the customer and the provision of services in the short to medium term.
Organisational Standards -
Standards that relate to issues that the whole local authority organisation will need to address and move towards. In most cases the benefits will be of a longer-term nature and more difficult to measure and define.
Corporate Standards -
Standards that relate to issues that will need to be addressed as part of the wider local authority corporate agenda.
