Local government has taken a lead over central government in using interactive online ‘web 2.0’ technologies to engage with citizens, according to a new paper from independent think-tank the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU).
The paper, ‘Local Government 3.0: how councils can respond to the new web agenda’ (
http://fastlink.headstar.com/lgiu2 ),
looks at how the internet is being used by councils to transform public service delivery and improve democracy, including use of new media tools and social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
“Local government is a frontrunner in using these technologies,” Jonathan Carr-West, Head of the LGiU’s Centre for Local Democracy, told E-Government Bulletin. “National government hasn’t been that good at it in some ways, and most of the really interesting stuff at a national government level has come from outside. You’ve got the mySociety websites, which are phenomenally good, but they were done from the outside – they weren’t done by government itself.
“Because local government is local, because it’s closer to people, and because individual councillors need to be more connected to their community, I think [central] government has realised that this is the way to do things, and I would argue that [local government] has taken the lead.”
The paper identifies various benefits of new technologies for councils such as the almost immediate response rate possible through a service such as Twitter, and the fact that Twitter replies are “non-hierarchical”, meaning that they are treated in terms of their content, rather than the author. It also makes a number of recommendations, including that central government should support local government’s use of these new technologies; that councils should encourage household broadband take-up; and that councils should encourage all levels of staff to use Web 2.0, with supportive IT policies.
Carr-West said open access to Web 2.0 tools and sites within councils was crucial. “If you don’t allow all staff access to these sites, you cut off a hugely valuable way of addressing certain issues. It’s like tying one hand behind your back. If you really want imaginative, effective, creative responses, you’ve got to empower the people who are closest to those problems”, he said.
