Local authorities fail to cope with rapid growth of e-mail

Local authorities will fail to meet government targets to deliver services electronically unless they radically rethink how they handle electronic mail.

This is according to a Belfast-based global e-mail company gem, who revealed that while 70 per cent of councils promote e-mail as a means of communication between the council and the public, most had failed to adequately consider how the rapid growth of e-mail would impact on how they deal with enquires and complaints.

Owen Lamont, Chief Executive and Chairman of gem, said: “If local authorities are to come even close to meeting customers’ expectations they must take urgent action to cope with this massive growth in the e-mail they will receive.

“A resident who gets home from work and sends an e-mail to say that their bins haven’t been emptied will expect a response by the next evening, just as if they had made a phone call.”

The problem, say gem, is likely to increase as more local authorities implement programmes to tackle social exclusion by improving access to ICT.

The company has also urged local authorities to look at using e-mail to improve how they relate to the public. (MB)