Right to reply: Government missing the point with website scrappage scheme

The news that the government plans to cut seventy-five per cent of its websites in an attempt to save millions of pounds is an example of it trying to tackle a symptom of departmental inefficiency, rather than the source of the problem.  A legacy of poor planning, bad implementation and headline grabbing buzzword bingo initiatives has led us to a position where duplication of effort and vanity projects now overshadow the undeniable cost savings and service improvements the digital age can enable.

Commercial organisations are relying ever more heavily on the internet to sell stuff, to deliver services and to communicate with its customers and stakeholders and have demonstrated, in sharp contrast, how cost-effective digital marketing can be with proven return on investment of more than 200% per annum.

Those that have failed to take advantage of the digital age have already seen shareholders walk out the door, whilst the government has been getting away with 'spend and fail' in the dark for longer than any would like to admit.

What the government is suggesting is like cutting off a foot because it’s been buying Jimmy Choo shoes to walk to work in. Once it’s made these cuts, the government needs to look in the mirror and ensure it delivers real change and focus within departments.  It needs to establish clear and measurable objectives, as well as the processes by which those results will be measured and acted upon, if it is to guarantee true value for money for the public purse. 

By Margaret Manning

CEO

Reading Room

www.readingroom.com/