Implement the National Audit Office report

The National Audit Office published a report ‘Government on the internet: progress in delivering information and services online‘ in July 2007  that made important recommendations for the government’s web estate.

The Taskforce noted in particular the expenditure estimate for the central government web estate:

‘..We estimate the annual running costs for central government websites as £208 million.  Some departments and agencies still have weak information about the costs and usage of their information provision and other facilities online. Hence they are unlikely to be maximizing the value gained from these expenditures’

The Taskforce judges that the NAO recommendations will, if implemented help the delivery of the power of information.  A greater focus on relevant communication channels and the real costs of  websites through a thorough audit will help administrators take better decisions about how to engage with online communities and to make information available for others to reuse.