This is the cached copy of http://www.wellington.govt.nz/plans/policies/ict/pdfs/ictpolicy.pdf

Page 1
Information
and Communications
Technology Policy
Page 2
2
Contents
Page
SECTION 1: Overview
1.1
Introduction
3
1.2
Why is the Council involved in ICT?
4
1.3
Strategic Fit
5
1.4
Links with other strategies
5
1.5
Review
6
SECTION 2: ICT and economic development
2.1
Introduction
7
SECTION 3: e-Community
3.1
Policy Aim
8
3.2
Strategic Fit
8
3.3
Analysis of Wellington’s Community ICT Environment
8
3.4
Objectives
9
3.5
Principles
12
3.6
Policy Implementation
14
3.7
Performance Measures
15
SECTION 4: e-Democracy
4.1
What is e-Democracy?
16
4.2
Why e-Democracy?
16
4.3
Strategic Fit
17
4.4
e-Voting
18
4.5
Objectives
18
4.6
Policy Implementation
21
4.7
Performance Measures
22
Page 3
3
SECTION 1: Overview
1.1 Introduction
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has already changed the way
many Wellington residents live, work and play, and the Council believes it has further
potential to enhance the lives of Wellingtonians.
ICT includes electronic information processing technologies such as computers and
the internet (including email) as well as cellular, digital and wireless technologies and
fixed line telecommunications. The Council believes these technologies have the
ability to:
• enhance the city’s economic development – by providing a telecommunications
infrastructure that enables new opportunities for innovation, increased
productivity and an enhanced quality of life
• contribute to the well-being of the community – by building capability and
enabling individuals and communities to develop economically, socially, and
culturally
• enhance and increase engagement in local democracy by enabling individuals and
communities to be linked to local government and local networks.
The ICT Policy is divided into three separate, but interrelated, areas:
At this stage the Council has adopted the e-Community and e-Democracy components
of the policy. It is anticipated that the economic development component will be
developed in the second half of 2006.
The e-Community component of the policy focuses on ensuring that disadvantaged
communities in Wellington do not miss out on the economic, social and cultural
benefits that technologies can provide. Access to ICT, and the ability to use it, is
increasingly critical for accessing information and resources. The e-Community
component of the policy aims to ensure no one is excluded from the burgeoning
“knowledge society” due to a lack of access or skills.
The e-Democracy component of the policy focuses on the opportunities technology
presents for increasing citizen involvement and engagement in Council processes.
Contributing to the
city’s economic
development
Building
capability in the
community
(e-Community)
Participating in local
democracy
(e-Democracy)
ICT Policy
Page 4
4
ICT has the potential to break down social, geographic, physical and economic
barriers to participation as it makes information readily available and can provide new
channels for dialogue between citizens and elected representatives. The e-Democracy
component of the policy aims to enhance and increase participation in the Council’s
decision-making processes as well as provide efficient access to Council services.
The Council recognises that enabling access to and training in ICT through the e-
Community component is critical to the e-Democracy programme being successful.
1.2 Why is the Council involved in ICT?
The Council has been involved in encouraging the deployment and use of ICT in
Wellington City since 1995 when it first adopted its InfoCity Strategy.
1
In 1995 the Council’s involvement was based on the premise that it was uniquely
situated to provide leadership to the business and community sectors in the take up
and application of emerging technologies. The Council saw that emerging
technologies provided it with new opportunities to:
• accelerate economic development
• enhance the achievement of social and community development principles
• provide a new “frontier” for business and community development.
ICT provides opportunities for the city’s development – economically and socially,
and is a useful tool for participation in civic decision-making processes.
The Council recognises that market gaps still exist – new technologies are not being
deployed as quickly as might be desirable and the cost of technology has not
sufficiently lowered to enable all businesses, communities and households to readily
purchase ICT. A watching brief is being kept on how the government’s recently
announced regulatory changes (particularly local loop unbundling) will impact the
city’s broadband provision. Initiatives in this area are also being considered as part of
the Wellington Regional Strategy and the development of the Council’s policy will be
seen in that context.
The Council is in a unique role – it can influence and bring together business and
community sectors, while also being able to work closely with government agencies
to achieve aims beneficial to all.
The Council’s involvement in ICT builds on its commitment to the “Global Cities
Dialogue” – through which the Council recognised that cities have a role in building a
fair society and made a commitment to improving the quality of life and work of
individuals, the quality and cost effectiveness of processes and services and ensuring
effective progress towards sustainable development.
1
This Strategy resulted in the Council supporting a number of initiatives – including the CityLink
CBD broadband roll-out, (e)-Vision, the creation of a Wellington City portal (W4), the establishment
of the 2020 Communications Trust, the Smart Newtown pilot programme, the Wellington Community
Network, and Computers for Communities programme.
Page 5
5
1.3 Strategic Fit
The Council has been developing a new strategic direction for 2006-2016. A set of
seven draft strategies have been developed that express the outcomes the Council
wants to achieve for the city over the next 10 years. The outcomes are deemed to be
key attributes that Wellington will need to demonstrate if it is to fulfil its “Creative
Wellington – Innovative Capital” vision and establish and maintain a global
competitive advantage into the future. The strategies also identify the areas that the
Council wants to give specific priority to over the next three years.
The proposed strategies, outcomes, and strategic priorities that this policy contributes
to are outlined in the policies below.
1.4 Links with other strategies
This policy has close links with the following strategies:
The Digital Strategy
The government’s Digital Strategy looks at how ICT can be used to enhance all
aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. Through its strategy the government sends strong
signals that local government will be an important partner in enabling it to meet some
of the strategy’s key outcomes. Most significantly, the government has established
two new contestable seed funds that will be used to support such partnerships:
• the Community Partnership Fund – a fund to support grassroots initiatives that
will build ICT skills in communities and regions, as well as help create distinctive
New Zealand content online
• the Broadband Challenge – a fund to enable the roll-out of affordable broadband
(high speed bandwidth) in the regions’ centres, based on competitive open-access
principles.
Strategic Plan for e-Local Government
The plan aims to enable New Zealand local government to be a world leader in e-local
government. The plan focuses on how:
• access to local government information and services can be made easier
• participation in local government democracy can be increased
• local government can provide leadership in e-business initiatives.
Draft Wellington Regional Strategy
The Wellington region’s local authorities are joining together to create a shared vision
for the region. The “unlocking economic potential” focus area of the draft Strategy
has a close relationship with the economic development component of the ICT Policy
as its main aims are to plug the region’s telecommunications infrastructure gaps and
connect the networks.
Page 6
6
Strategic Public Libraries Framework
Local government, central government and other stakeholder groups are working
together to develop a strategic framework to guide the public library sector over the
next decade.
The framework looks at how libraries can be a means for enabling all of society to
share in the benefits of technological advancements – as they can ensure access for all
to the digitally based information that is becoming increasingly available and
accessble via computers and the internet.
1.5
Review
The ICT area is witnessing rapid change not just in technological capability, but also
in attitudes to technology and user behaviour. Things seen as challenges now may not
be so in a short space of time. The Council’s own business needs, particularly in the
area of how its libraries are developing with ever increasing technological
advancements, may also impact on how this policy is implemented.
Because of the rapid rate of these developments, this policy will be monitored and
changed as required. The policy will also be reviewed every three years to ensure
that:
• the Council’s involvement is still necessary
• the policy is targeted to emerging ICT needs
• new technologies, and the new challenges they may present, are taken into
account.
Page 7
7
SECTION 2 – ICT and Economic Development
2.1 Introduction
The Council’s draft aims and objectives for this component of the policy are still
under development. A separate public consultation process will take place once this
has been achieved.
Page 8
8
SECTION 3 – ICT and Community Development
3.1 Policy Aim
Technology provides opportunities for individuals and communities to gain new
capabilities that can positively impact on their lives economically, socially and
culturally. ICT has the potential to improve quality of life, educational and
employment opportunities, and provide access to timely and cost effective services.
However, there are communities and individuals in Wellington that do not have
access to ICT or the skills and confidence to use it, be it due to economic, social,
physical or cultural circumstances. Many of these communities and individuals are
already disadvantaged in other ways and risk being further disadvantaged as current
and new technologies become increasingly prevalent.
The e-Community component of the policy seeks to minimise the division between
those who do and do not have access to ICT, with its main aim being:
“To build capability and capacity in the community so that all can participate in an
economy and society that has an increasing reliance on ICT.”
3.2 Strategic Fit
The e-Community policy falls under the Draft Social and Recreation Strategy.
e-Community will contribute to the Council meeting the following outcomes of the
Strategy:
• Outcome 6: More actively engaged – Wellington residents will be actively
engaged in their communities, and in recreation and leisure activities
• Outcome 7: Better connected – Wellington will offer excellent access to a sound
social infrastructure that supports high levels of social cohesion.
e-Community will also directly contribute to the Council meeting the strategic priority
of “building capability and capacity within the community to promote social cohesion
and sound social infrastructure”.
3.3 Analysis of Wellington’s Community ICT Environment
Information on ICT usage in Wellington is currently sourced from Statistic New
Zealand’s census results from 2001. Based on these results, the communities of
interest and identity in Wellington least likely to have household access to the internet
are:
• Pacific Island
• Maori
• people in low income households
• households with only one parent
Page 9
9
• households that rent from a city council or Housing New Zealand
• people aged 65 years and over
• people with no or low qualifications or poor literacy
• unemployed people
• refugees and migrants
• people with disabilities.
The geographical communities least likely to have household internet access are
Grenada North, Kilbirnie, Lyall Bay, Berhampore, Newtown, Strathmore, the Aro and
Nairn Street areas and Miramar/Maupuia.
In 2004, the Council undertook an initial needs assessment in Wellington’s three most
ICT deprived communities (Newtown/Berhampore, Kilbirnie/Lyall Bay and Grenada
North). This assessment sought to gain an insight into the perceived barriers facing
people in using ICT. These were identified as:
• practical (such as lack of access to computers)
• emotional/attitudinal (such as fear of computers or being unsure of the relevance
of ICT)
• cultural barriers to ICT usage (such as needing to learn how to use computers in a
language other than English).
The main reasons why people thought they would use ICT was to:
• keep in touch with friends, family and cultural groups via email
• keep up-to-date with news and information
• read/listen to music in their own language (seen as critical by immigrants)
• access entertainment and relaxation tools – e.g. games, music
• obtain information and undertake research
• access education and learning opportunities
• seek employment.
3.4 Objectives
The policy’s objectives aim to overcome the barriers people experience in using ICT –
be it because they are unsure of the relevance of ICT, lack access to it or do not have
the skills and confidence to use it.
Objective 1: Raising awareness
To raise awareness amongst targeted communities about the potential benefits of ICT.
Under this objective, the Council will seek to raise awareness about the potential
economic, social and educational benefits of using ICT (for example, increased
connection with friends, access to e-learning opportunities, democratic participation,
enhanced employment).
This objective particularly focuses on breaking down emotional and attitudinal
barriers to ICT usage, such as overcoming a fear of ICT. The most likely mechanism
for achieving this will be through localised advertising – informing people where free
Page 10
10
and/or affordable access to ICT equipment, training and technical support is located,
and raising awareness about the cost of ICT.
Possible other mechanisms the Council will explore for achieving this objective
include:
• IT centre open days – where ICT could be showcased and people have the chance
to use it while being helped by a trainer.
• “Asset maps” – showing where community/public assets are, which could be
made readily available to communities.
Objective 2: Increased access
To increase access to ICT for those who do not have ready access.
This objective is focused on ensuring access to ICT – through making it readily
available to disadvantaged communities and residents.
The Council sees community computing hubs
2
as key to meeting this objective. The
Council currently supports three hubs in Newtown,
3
which were initiated as part of
the “Smart Newtown” pilot project undertaken during 2001/02. It is very likely that
this objective will result in the Council supporting further “visible and accessible”
computer hubs in other Wellington suburbs. Hubs could be located in such
community facilities as a public library, community centre, Council housing complex,
recreation centre, Citizen Advice Bureau, retirement home, marae or enabled through
a partnership with a school, cyber cafe, or another group that operates an ICT room.
Taking into account the valuable insights gained from the Smart Newtown Pilot
project, factors that need to be considered when selecting a site for a community-
based hub/ICT centre are:
• the site is, or has the potential to become, a ‘third place’ where people from the
community can meet outside their homes
• the ICT hub should be a natural addition to, or extension of other community
services already available at the site
• the site provides a reasonable degree of safety and security to users
• cultural and ethnic issues are catered for in the design and operation of the ICT
hub
• the centre has the administrative expertise, processes and procedures in place to
handle the increased workload from the ICT hub.
Mechanisms for enhancing community groups’ access to and training on ICT are
already also being supported by the Council through the “Wellington Community
Network” (WCN)
4
, which is an electronic community network operated by the
2
Community computing hubs are places that provide free access to computers and (usually) the
internet. Free training may also be offered.
3
These are located in the Newtown Network Centre (10 computers), Newtown Community and
Cultural Centre (six computers), and the Newtown Library (two computers, without internet access).
In the past year, the following changes have occurred:
•
the Newtown Network Centre and Newtown Library computers have been upgraded
•
NCCC is being used more effectively – with regular school homework groups using it.
4
WCN currently hosts the websites of 649 community groups.
Page 11
11
Wellington 2020 Communications Trust (W2020)
5
. WCN provides free website-
hosting, an email service, training and support, as well as a discussion forum function
to community groups that may otherwise not be able to be online.
Possible other mechanisms the Council will explore for achieving this objective
include:
• a mobile computer unit – e.g. a bus e-enabled with multiple computers and
internet access. The unit could visit any part of Wellington and would be operated
by people able to provide training and resolve minor technical issues.
• “rent-to-buy” schemes – enabling low income families to purchase ICT with little
or no initial out-lay
• support for computers in homes programmes in school areas (particularly
disadvantaged areas).
Objective 3: Affordable training and support
To provide affordable training and technical support to new ICT users in the target
groups.
The Council will continue to focus on providing basic training for people who have
never used a computer before (for example, people who may not know what a mouse
is or have keyboard skills). The aim of this training is to enable people to become
sufficiently skilled that they are able to access other free or low cost training courses
(such as free polytechnic classes).
This objective also addresses the specific barriers that prevent people from accessing
other ICT training courses (such as cultural and language issues).
Ways of overcoming the barriers of obtaining affordable technical support will also be
explored, as it has been identified as a need for people and groups that may have older
computers installed in their offices or homes and only have limited resources to
support them.
Possible mechanisms for achieving this objective include:
• providing basic training in different languages – either through interpreters or
training people from different cultures to train others
• providing basic training at different times to different groups (for example, groups
of women, different ethnic groups, aged based groups)
• providing affordable technical support or a help desk – which could be located in
a public library, a “mobile computer unit” or provided through an “e-rider”
• setting up a buddy system or informal neighbourhood internet help groups – so
that people are encouraged to continue using ICT.
5
W2020 was created in April 2002. Its main objective is “to empower all citizens of the Wellington
region by ICT, and strengthen their communities through full participation in the information society.”
Prior to W2020’s creation, community ICT initiatives in Wellington were run by the 2020
Communications Trust, which has now been superseded by both W2020 and the National 2020 Trust.
Page 12
12
3.5 Principles
The following five principles have been developed to guide the Council’s approach in
supporting e-Community projects:
Principle 1: Meeting identified need
The Council will work with communities to assess their main ICT needs and the best
possible solution to meet those needs before projects are implemented. The Council
will prioritise projects that are focused on the people using the technology rather than
technology provision.
Solutions found will suit the communities’ needs, without a “one size fits all” solution
being taken across the city. This may result in different solutions being provided
within one community (although solutions that can benefit a number of communities
at once will generally be sought).
The needs assessment process will establish communities’ “buy-in” to the project,
establishing a basis for community ownership, as well as identifying key stakeholders
(or “digital champions”) that are able to participate in leading projects.
Principle 2: Targeting disadvantage
The Council’s community ICT programme will be targeted towards disadvantaged
individuals and groups in the community.
The Council will work with those communities of interest and identity that have been
identified as having the lowest access to ICT (i.e. Pacific Island, Maori, people in low
income households, households with only one parent, households that rent from a city
council or Housing New Zealand and people aged 65 years and over).
The Council will also initially concentrate its efforts on those geographical areas
known to have low ICT access and high concentrations of the above target
communities (Newtown, Berhampore, Kilbirnie, Lyall Bay and Grenada North
followed by Strathmore, Aro/Nairn Street and Miramar/Maupuia).
Information on target groups and areas will be updated with each new census (at the
time of this policy being written, the next census is scheduled for 2006).
While not necessarily “disadvantaged”, community and not for profit groups also fit
into this category – particularly if they do not have the resources to purchase
computer systems, obtain internet access or afford the required training and technical
support.
Targeting of specific communities may result in an uneven distribution of community
ICT programmes across the city. This policy is premised on prioritising some
communities rather than achieving an equitable, city-wide approach.
Page 13
13
Principle 3: Working in partnership
The Council will work in partnership with the community, central government, not for
profit, philanthropic and private sectors to deliver community ICT programmes.
This principle seeks to ensure the success of community ICT initiatives by ensuring
programmes are:
• driven by the community and local “digital champion(s)” (where such people are
identified through the needs assessment process)
• community “owned” – through a high level of community buy-in (recognising that
final responsibility will rest with the Council where the Council is the principle
funder and coordinator)
• established with the appropriate resources (particularly sustainable funding,
technology and management).
Principle 4: Coordinating resources
The Council aims to maximise the use of assets in the community and ensure there is
no duplication of resources through providing a coordinated approach to
implementing and operating community ICT initiatives.
Part of ensuring that resources are coordinated adequately will be achieved by the
appointment of an officer responsible for overseeing the Council’s e-Community
projects. This person would provide:
• clear project management of Council programmes – to provide continuity through
project’s design, implementation and operation, and to ensure the expectations of
all stakeholders are understood
• a main Council liaison point for community and private sector relationships
• a point of financial accountability for the Council’s budget.
The Council will also establish an “asset map” showing where current resources are,
such as community ICT equipment and expertise resources, skills, services, buildings,
land, and ICT devices. Such a map could include libraries, schools, community
centres, Work and Income NZ offices, recreation centres, cyber cafes, independent
community ICT providers (for example, SeniorNet), any place where training is
available (for example, through the Community Education Centre, Whitireia
Polytechnic).
Principle 5: Ensuring sustainability
Programmes will only be initiated if it can be ensured they will be sustainable before
they are implemented.
Funding, technology and human resources all need to be sustainable. Sponsorship,
services and support (including ‘in-kind’) will be sought for community ICT projects.
The Council will be committed to ongoing operational funding, but expects that it will
not meet the full costs of operating any programme as cost sharing partnerships will
be actively sought.
Page 14
14
The Council will support initiatives that take a sustainable approach to rapidly
changing technology, looking for solutions that can provide high speed and high
specification technology without necessarily providing the most recent equipment.
The Council recognises that volunteers are important to the operation of projects and
will put a programme for attracting, training and retaining volunteers in place. The
Council will also provide training and development opportunities for community
people employed to coordinate specific programmes.
Electronic Waste
A further part of ensuring sustainability will be achieved through the Council
determining its position on the disposal of electronic waste (such as computer
hardware and monitors). Currently the Council is addressing this issue through its
Solid Waste Management Plan, where e-waste has been identified as a potential area
of concern. The Council is keeping abreast with national and international
developments in order to take advantage of any future sustainable and pragmatic
diversion or reuse opportunities.
3.6 Policy Implementation
The Council is currently supporting the following e-Community initiatives:
• funding three community computing hubs in Newtown ($78,500)
• providing a grant for the Wellington 2020 Communications Trust (W2020)
6
,
which runs the Wellington Community Network on the Council’s behalf and
provides advice on community ICT ($145,000).
Through its library network the Council also provides access to free customer PCs,
from which users can:
• access the Council’s and selected government and information websites (including
thousands of current electronic journals and newspapers and links to international
newspapers in community languages)
• undertaking word processing (in the Central and Karori libraries)
• obtain training from staff.
Libraries will continue to play a key role in implementing this policy, particularly as
plans proceed to extend the opportunity to use computers and access the internet in
libraries through a “People’s Network” approach.
7
In the 2006-2016 LTCCP, the Council has included funding to:
• appoint a Community ICT Coordinator – to oversee all of the Council’s projects in
this area ($70,000)
6
W2020 was created in April 2002. Its main objective is “to empower all citizens of the Wellington
region by ICT, and strengthen their communities through full participation in the information society.”
Prior to W2020’s creation, community ICT initiatives in Wellington were run by the 2020
Communications Trust, which has now been superseded by both W2020 and a new National 2020
Trust, which now carries out national projects.
7
This is the name given to a programme undertaken in the United Kingdom to provide access and
training throughout the public libraries network..
Page 15
15
• establish Computer rooms in two of Council’s Housing complexes – Newtown
Park and Arlington flats ($80,000 in operational expenditure, $45,000 capital
expenditure). Funding for this project includes a paid “room coordinator” who
will be responsible for overseeing the rooms and volunteers, facilitating the
provision of training, and providing low level technical support (the budget also
includes funding for higher level technical support)
• establish further computer hubs in other suburbs that have an identified need
(budget starting at $76,000 in 2008/09 and incrementally increasing to $209,000
in 2011/12).
This is not the full extent of the policy implementation. In light of the success of
these projects, further initiatives may be considered as part of future annual plans.
3.7 Performance Measures
Performance measures will be established to evaluate the effectiveness of the projects
undertaken in this policy and to determine the policy’s overall effectiveness.
For example, the Newtown computer hubs provide a good benchmark for
understanding the level of usage for a successful computer hub, how many people can
be trained through the hubs, and whether or not new users are being attracted to use
the hubs. Further information could also be sought on how many users go on to
owning their own computers as a result of their initial interactions with ICT at the
hubs.
Page 16
16
SECTION 4: e-democracy
4.1 What is e-democracy?
e-Democracy, or electronic democracy, refers to how the Council will use ICT to
facilitate and encourage participation in its local decision-making processes.
e-Democracy is usually closely associated with electronic voting (e-Voting). This
policy, however, focuses on how the Council can promote democratic engagement in
between election times by providing information and avenues for residents and
ratepayers to interact with elected members and officers on local issues.
The Council recognises that it is just one democratic player and that other
organisations, groups and individuals may also be proponents of their own e-
Democracy initiatives.
4.2 Why e-Democracy?
As public usage of the internet grows, so does the expectation that central and local
government will increasingly communicate and interact with residents and ratepayers
online. The advent of the internet has caused governments worldwide to reconsider
the way they communicate with their citizens as the internet is seen to have the
potential to “renew” democracy from a trend of increasing disengagement. Many
believe that e-Democracy may be able to help reverse the decline being experienced
in political participation and engagement, and stimulate involvement between election
times.
The internet is seen a tool that can promote, strengthen and enhance democratic
structures as it can be used to:
• make decision-making more transparent – decisions, and the information behind
them, can be more readily accessible
• provide greater accountability – as it can be used to follow and scrutinise elected
members’ actions and decisions
• enable individuals to access information and services – including “hard to reach”
groups in the civic decision-making process. ICT can overcome issues of low
mobility (for example, for disabled, elderly, people with young children), sensory
deprivation, or other barriers such as geography, a lack of time, cultural and/or
language barriers
• provide individuals and groups with an immediate, inclusive, and interactive tool
that encourages dialogue between citizens, elected members, community groups
and communities.
• build trust between the government and citizens – through government
responsiveness, in delivering services and by providing a secure, private place to
express opinions.
Page 17
17
ICT has the potential to transform the way residents interact with the Council. It is a
powerful tool that can connect people with information as well as provide an
interactive experience where views can be expressed and debated. It gives individuals
more choice about how they can participate in the civic decision-making process and
provides a means for community groups to activate wide response to government
actions.
Through its e-Democracy policy the Council aims to encourage an increased and
enhanced level of engagement in the Council’s decision-making processes and to
provide efficient access to Council services.
Limitations on e-Democracy
e-Democracy is not the entire solution to addressing the issue of disengagement.
Evaluations undertaken on international e-Democracy pilots demonstrate that while
technology has the potential to strengthen participation in representative democracy, it
has not proven to be the complete answer. For this reason, e-Democracy will only be
used to complement conventional forms of participation rather than replace them.
Furthermore, e-Democracy has the potential to exacerbate barriers to participation
unless it is complemented with an e-Community programme. The same people who
do not traditionally participate in Council processes tend to also have the least access
to ICT. For e-Democracy to provide maximum benefit, it is essential the barriers to
ICT access are reduced.
4.3 Strategic Fit
The e-Democracy policy falls under the Draft Governance Strategy. e-Democracy
will contribute to the Council meeting the strategy’s following outcomes:
• Outcome 5: More inclusive – Wellingtonians will be actively involved in the
future direction of their communities
• Outcome 6: More actively engaged –
- Wellingtonians will operate an open and honest decision-making process that
generates confidence and trust in the democratic system
- Information required by citizens and groups will be easily accessible, to enable
participation in the community
e-Democracy will also directly contribute to the Council meeting the following
strategic priorities for 2006-09:
• improving the transparency and quality of processes for public involvement in
(civic) decision-making
• improving communication with communities.
Page 18
18
4.4
e-Voting
The Local Electoral Act 2001 does not provide for online voting (e-Voting). The
issue of e-Voting is not addressed in the policy at this stage.
4.5 Objectives
The following objectives have been developed for the e-Democracy Policy.
Objective 1: Accessible information
To provide easily accessible and relevant information that will enable people to
effectively participate in the Council’s decision-making process.
The provision of information is one of the building blocks of e-Democracy.
Information is a precursor to engagement as it enables people to be informed enough
to participate, scrutinise decisions and hold elected members accountable.
The main goal underlying this objective is for the Council to ensure the information it
provides is:
• relevant
• able to be found easily on the website
• sufficient, enabling people to participate effectively by having the necessary
information.
Possible initiatives that could support this objective include:
• expanding the “Public Input” page on the Council’s website so that it:
- provides an explanation of the participation/consultation process
- shows the progress of past consultations as well as current ones through
the decision-making process. The Bristol City Council has an example of
such an initiative (http://www.bristol-city.gov.uk/ccm/content/Council-
Democracy/Consultations/consultation-finder.en)
- provides a weekly summary updating how many submissions have been
received for present consultations
- provides a summary of how past consultations have had an impact on the
decision being made (e.g. Manchester City Council has a page titled ‘How
does consultation make a difference’:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/bestvalue/consult/change.htm)
• live online coverage of Council meetings (webcasting) – which can also be
archived online for later viewing
• elected member websites/blogs/e-newsletters (subscription based) – enabling
elected members to provide information directly to the public about their role, the
decisions they are and will be making and other city and Council matters
• “MyGov” – enabling citizens to customise the content displayed to them on the
Council’s website so that it displays all the relevant information they want in one
quick view (e.g. such as property information, community facilities, events, and
dog licenses).
Page 19
19
Objective 2: Accessible elected members and Council officers
To provide a variety of avenues for the public to engage with elected members and
Council officers on issues affecting the city.
The provision of information should be a two way flow so that it is not just about the
Council providing information to the public, but having clear channels for the public
to provide information to the Council.
This objective recognises that the internet provides a unique environment for
overcoming traditional barriers to consultation as it is not constrained by time, cost,
and existing information networks.
The Council has enabled the public to provide information online through online
submission forms, feedback forms (e.g. the “fix-it” and complaints forms) and by
providing elected members’ email addresses. The next step is for it to provide
interactive facilities that enable discussion and debate between community groups,
residents, Council officers and elected members. Such mechanisms allow for
residents and groups to discuss issues that affect them, which might not necessarily be
the issues being considered by the Council at that point in time.
In providing interactive facilities, the Council will establish clear guidelines on how it
will respond to public input (as this will be critical to building trust and ensuring
ongoing involvement in discussions with the Council) and the sphere of influence that
contributions will be able to impact on. Initiatives in this area will be supported by:
• clear rules of engagement – a charter setting out participants’ rights and
responsibilities
• increased officer resources to ensure the mechanisms are supported effectively
• appropriate marketing to raise awareness about the mechanisms.
Possible initiatives that could support this objective include:
• e-Petitions – a system for hosting electronic petitions (where “electronic”
signatures are collected online and the petition is traced from its receipt at Council
through to the Council’s response to it). The Scottish Parliament has an example
of such an initiative (http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/)
• electronic public participation – enabling people to submit via an online form
what they would say as part of the standard “public participation” slot at a
committee or Council meeting
• interactive forums – e.g. web-based discussion forums, chat rooms, or email lists
focused on policy and planning issues, which the public, elected members and
officers can be part of. Recognising that this may best be achieved through an
independently facilitated website, e.g. the Waitakere e-Democracy Group
(www.wedg.org.nz), the “Ask Bristol” website (www.askbristol.com)
• elected member websites/blogs/e-newsletters (subscription based) – access to
Councillors through their own websites (which also might include a discussion
forum, weblog facility, or regular online chat session)
• “online surgeries” – chat room style fora enabling citizens to conduct secure
Page 20
20
online discussions individually and as part of a group with local government
representatives
• neighbourhood websites – local community websites promoting interaction
between local residents and their representatives and encouraging public
participation.
Objective 3: Encouraging broader consultation
To encourage “hard to reach” groups to participate via the internet.
This objective focuses on extending consultation and engagement beyond the groups
that are traditionally politically engaged. These groups include many of those listed
in the e-Community component of this policy, which makes it critical that those
groups can overcome the barrier of lack of access to ICT.
The Council already meets this objective in that it is accessible to people who need to
use “reader software” and who have low specification computers (the site does not
require the use of high specification programmes). Information on how people can
participate in the Council’s decision-making processes is also provided in alternative
languages.
The Wellington Community Network also contributes to the Council’s e-Democracy
outcomes, giving community groups a powerful tool to advance democratic issues
through their potential to connect and mobilise communities as well as access timely
information.
Possible further initiatives that could support this objective include:
• providing increased amounts of information online that is directed to hard to reach
groups and is in a suitable format – this could be achieved by targeting areas of
the website to such groups or by providing information in multiple languages
• using mobile phone “text” messages as a means of communicating (e.g. targeting
youth about new consultation)
• neighbourhood websites – local community websites promoting interaction
between local residents and their representatives and encouraging public
participation.
Objective 4: Enhancing accountability
To enhance the accountability of elected members.
This objective ties in closely with the previous objectives – as at its heart is the
transparency of the Council’s decision-making processes and providing the public
with the ability to scrutinise public documents and decisions.
The Council will continue to provide information on the website such as the Council’s
accountability documents (annual plans, annual reports), bylaws, policies and plans,
meeting schedules (including agendas, reports and minutes) and contact details for
elected members. The implementation of initiatives already mentioned above will
Page 21
21
contribute to further enhancing elected members’ accountability – for example,
through such initiatives as:
• elected member websites, weblog facilities and webcasting
• an expanded “Public Input” page – which could include a summary of how
consultation processes have influenced decisions.
Objective 5: Efficient services
To increase the Council’s efficiency by providing council services online.
The Council has an internal Website Strategy that is working to meet this objective.
For example, work is currently underway to make GIS data and the archives databases
publicly available online. The Web Strategy focuses on enhancing the Council’s
services online in a manner that will be sustainable – in terms of cost-effectiveness
and in the use of officer resources.
In providing feedback on this policy, submitters are requested to tell us what services
they would most like to see available online.
4.6 Policy Implementation
The Council has been advancing its e-Democracy capability over the past few years
through the information and functions it has made available on the website.
8
Recent
additions to the website include:
• information on how to participate in the Council’s decision-making processes in a
number of different languages
• a web alert subscription service, where people can elect to receive email
notifications about new content in areas of interest to individual users
• a “fix-it” page the public can use to inform the Council of a problem.
The Council also supports the Wellington Community Network (WCN)
9
which not
only addresses community groups’ ICT needs but doubles as an e-Democracy tool as
it enables community groups to have an online presence and voice, and to access
online facilities, information and programmes they might not otherwise be able to.
Through its library network the Council provides access to free customer PCs, which
can access over 6,000 websites – including the Council’s and selected government
and information websites. In addition, the library provides:
• free access to thousands of current electronic journals and newspapers.
• a virtual online reference service “Anyquestions”
8
The public is able to access elected members’ contact details (including email addresses),
accountability information (annual plan, annual report), policy and bylaws information, meeting
schedules (including reports and minutes), a consultation schedule, information on all of the Council’s
services. Members of the public can also make an electronic submission for Council consultations
(This function has been used increasingly over the past few years. On average, 30% of submissions are
now received via the website - the range from November 2004 to date was 3% through to 58%).
9
An electronic community network that provides website hosting to over 580 community groups, as
well as content management support, training and email and discussion forum facilities.
Page 22
22
• migrant community library guide: information in 15 languages and links to
international newspapers in community languages
• heritage digitisation programme – including creating online indexes to local
information.
In the 2006-2016 LTCCP, the Council has included $55,000 of new funding for such
initiatives such as:
• e-Panels – residents are able to sign up to be part of a group that is regularly
provided with information on relevant Council issues and consultations and asked
to provide feedback
• e-Petitions – petitions can be established online, have names collected
electronically and then be tracked to show the Council’s receipt of it through to
how it is responded to
• e-Public participation – residents are able to electronically submit comments for a
Council Committee’s consideration at a public meeting. The comments will be
treated as though they are part of the formal “public participation” item on the
agenda, and will be formally minuted.
This is not the full extent of the policy implementation. In light of the success of
these projects, further initiatives may be considered as part of future annual plans.
4.7 Performance Measures
Performance measures will be established to evaluate the effectiveness of the projects
undertaken in this policy and to determine the policy’s overall effectiveness.