Local authorities on the road to digital nirvana

Ninety-four per cent of local councils have succeeded in mapping out their digital future - at least in theory.

Three hundred and sixty three of the 388 local authorities in England submitted Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) statements to Whitehall in time for this week's deadline - leaving just 25 laggards no where to be seen.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) said the department was "pretty pleased" with the response, but would now be contacting the missing councils to fill in the blanks.

The IEG statements should include a detailed plan of how local councils intend to offer citizens electronic services over the next four years.

While there is no legal requirement for local authorities to comply, those that fail will be denied access to the £350m funding available from central government over the next two years.

£25m has already been allocated to 'pathfinder' projects like Brent Council's one-stop-shop for citizens and Leeds' e-procurement network.

Earlier this week, many local councils revealed their frustration at having to conform to Whitehall's e-government blueprint, rather than developing individual services themselves.