Implementing Electronic Government Statements

Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) statements are corporate plans which set out how local councils are approaching the task of improving service delivery through e-government.  To date, the IEG process has been extremely successful in engaging councils and in promoting a corporate approach to tackling e-government.  At the national level, the IEG process also provides a valuable source of information from which the Government can identify progress in implementing electronic local government. 

Round 1 of IEG statements in 2001, required councils to set out their plans for implementing e-government. Round 2 of IEG statements (IEG2) in 2002, emphasised the need for councils to provide evidence of progress in taking the e-government agenda forward and to demonstrate realistic plans of action and expenditure to meet 2005 targets for the 100% e-enablement of local services.  Round 3 of IEG statements (IEG3) in 2003 introduced a standardised proforma designed to allow self-assessment, benchmarking and measuring progress on key deliverables.  Round 4 in 2004 will provide evidence of progress in the delivery of priority service and transformation outcomes for local e-government.  It will also require authorities to submit IEG information in an online format via the esd-toolkit and to maintain data in real-time from the IEG4 submission deadline in November 2004 onwards.  A copy of the consultation paper for IEG4 can be downloaded here.

In April 2003, the ODPM confirmed that all Councils had submitted satisfactory IEG2 statements and would receive a capital grant of £200,000 in 2003/04 to assist in implementing their plans. In Febuary 2004, the ODPM confirmed that a further £500,000 of capital grant in 2004/05 and 2005/06 would be allocated to local authorities in England to e-enable their services and implement Priority Outcomes by December 2005.  A copy of the the final paper on 'Defining e-Government outcomes for 2005 to support the delivery of Priority Services and National Strategy Transformation Agenda for Local Authorities in England -Version 1.0' can be downloaded here.

By way of illustrating the priority outcomes for local e-government, it is expected that every citizen in England will be able to do the following things electonically with their local Council by the end of 2005:

- Submit planning applications online;
- Check Council Tax balances;
- Book sports and leisure facilities over the web;
- Check eligibility for and calculate entitlement to Housing and Council Tax  benefit;
- Access all Council services outside standard working hours;
- Receive a reply to an email enquiry within one working day.

Publications relating to previous rounds of IEG are available from the IEG archive page.  Information about the Fire IEG process is avaliable from the Fire IEG Page.

Based on estimates from IEG3 returns, local councils in England now expect to be 66% e-enabled in 2003/4 (i.e. by 31 March 2004), compared to 46% last March 2003 and 33% in March 2002.  The forecast position for March 2005 is 86%.

In accordance with plans set out in the IEG3 guidance, the information contained within local authority IEG3 submissions has been collated and is now available to all local authorities via the esd-toolkit. Please note that the download of this information has been made available to local authorities only. Specific request for IEG3 data from non local authority organisations should be made to localegov@odpm.gsi.gov.uk

A number of Councils have been nominated for support from the IDeA's Implementation Support Unit.  More information on the work of the ISU can be found on our Support for Authorities page

IEG4 Proforma

The ODPM has published today the proforma for IEG4 returns.  Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) returns allow local authorities to set out how they are approaching the task of improving service delivery through e-government.  This copy of the IEG4 proforma is provided for information purposes only.  Local authorities should note that IEG4 returns will only be accepted online via the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) toolkit supported by the Improvement & Development Agency (IDEA) (www.esd-toolkit.org).  An e-form for online IEG4 data entry will be available on the esd-toolkit later this month.  The deadline for IEG4 submissions via the esd-toolkit is midnight on Monday 20 December 2004.  A separate version of the IEG4 proforma for National Park Authorities will be published later this month.

IEG Grant Certification

This refers to the conditions set out in Special Grant Report (No.97) for the payment of Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) grant in 2002-03 and 2003-04 to help local authorities achieve the vision of e-enabled services set out in their IEG statements.  Under this Report, receiving authorities are required to ensure that information provided to the Secretary of State on actual expenditure is certified, on an audit form provided by him, by the authority's CFO, by 30 September of the financial year following the final grant payment to the authority, and by an auditor appointed by the Audit Commission, and that the audit form is received by the Secretary of State, duly certified by no later than 30 December the same financial year.  A copy of this audit form is now attached and you are asked to ensure that this is forwarded for the attention of your authority's Chief Finance Officer.

If a receiving authority fails to use the grant in respect of relevant expenditure or fails to comply with any of these conditions then the Secretary of State may require the repayment of the whole or any part of the grant monies paid to that authority, as may be determined by the Secretary of State and notified in writing to the authority.  Such sum as has been notified shall immediately become repayable to the Secretary of State.

IEG4 Proforma for National Park Authorities

The ODPM has published today the proforma for IEG4 returns for National Park Authorities.  Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) returns allow local authorities to set out how they are approaching the task of improving service delivery through e-government.  The deadline for IEG4 submissions is midnight on Monday 20 December 2004.