Model 'e-enabled' council unveiled

The government has outlined a framework for what the model 'e-enabled council' should look like to help local authorities meet the 2005 deadline for putting services online.

A series of "priority outcomes" have been identified based on the outcomes of 23 national projects. Local authorities will have to show they are meeting these outcomes when they submit claims for grants.

An example of the priority outcomes is the area of e-procurement. By 2005, councils must have appropriate e-procurement systems in place, including as a minimum paperless ordering, invoicing and payment.

The final set of guidelines will be issued shortly to councils as part of the next phase of the Implementing e-government (IEG) grant claim process.

Local e-government minister Phil Hope said in a statement: "They are not a new set of targets, or additional requirements, but a robust and workable framework to help local government in its task to meet the target. Most importantly of all, this framework will help the customer - the council taxpayer in that area - to understand what to expect from their e-enabled local council."