13 July 2007
The National Audit Office (NAO) has claimed that many government websites are still too complicated and difficult to use. While services like online road tax renewal are very popular, some sites such as the HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) are too complex, the report said.
The total cost for government websites is £208m a year but improvement in quality since 2002 has been minimal. Nearly 25% of departments do not know how much their sites cost, or who is using them.
Local authority websites appear to be very popular, with 180m visitors a year. The Job Centre Plus site is one of the most visited - once a week by 78% of users. However many sites are deterring users with difficulties in navigation, ‘text heavy’ content and irrelevant policy information.
The NAO report said the growth in online government services was "perhaps the most radical extension of access to public services as a whole for several decades".
Keep up to date with industry and Nomensa news by signing up to Nomensa newsletters.
