Guildford Borough Council is collaborating with academics at the University of Surrey to examine how the Web is being used in government (so called ‘electronic government’ or ‘e-government’).  The research investigates how the Guildford Borough Council website is being used, whether it satisfies citizens’ needs, how it could be developed further, and whether it could be exploited more effectively as a communication channel between users and the Council.

All users are invited to participate in this research by completing our online survey (this page opens in a new window ).

What is electronic government?
At its most fundamental, electronic government is about delivering public services efficiently and cost-effectively, but in broader terms it is also about providing opportunities for interactive (possibly real-time) communication using such tools as e-mail, online surveys, discussion forums, webcasts etc.

Measuring success
Internationally, e-government ‘success’ has been measured in terms of provision, but the researchers at Surrey are more interested in actual usage. This goes beyond simple metrics (e.g. x number of people read this particular page on that particular day) to analyse how the website is used: for example, do you use it to find out about Council services, look for information about particular events, pay for services online, find out who to contact about a particular issue, and so on? How useful do you find the website? Is there enough information, too much or too little? Can you do what you want to do online, or do you have to ring up or visit the Council afterwards? Is it easy to navigate or difficult to find your way around? What do you really like about it, and what do you dislike? How would you like it to be developed in future; what should be added, and what removed? Should it just be developed to provide online versions of Council services or does it have a role to play in making it easier for you to have your say about issues that affect you? Should it help to make sure that your views are taken into account when Councillors make decisions that affect you?

The research project
Stage one of the research was to investigate what the Council thinks the role and purpose of the website is and how effective it is in achieving these objectives; stage two is find out what people who actually use the website think. The endpoint is to identify good practice, improvements and the prospects for further development as a vehicle of interactive dialogue between users and the Council.

Get involved
Let us know how you feel about the Guildford Borough Council website by completing the online survey (this page opens in a new window).

Please contact the web team for more information:

Web team
Guildford Borough Council
Millmead House
Millmead
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 4BB

Tel: 01483 444253
Email: webteam@guildford.gov.uk