Directgov
Encyclopedia
Directgov is the UK government's digital service for people in the United Kingdom, providing a single point of access to public sector
information and services.
The content is developed by government departments
, working with a central Directgov team. The main outlet is via a website, though content and services are also delivered via mobile and interactive TV.
Directgov receives more than fifteen million visits a month, from around eight million unique users. In September 2007, the site received its one hundred millionth visitor since its launch in April 2004.
version of the site.
, buying a television licence
, car licensing, registering to vote, and completing a Self Assessment tax return form.
s by typing direct.gov.uk/mobile into the phone's browser. It was also on analogue teletext
pages and through digital interactive television
on Freeview channel 106 until 1 July 2010, Sky until 22 December 2010 and Virgin Media
until 31 March 2011.
animated site is based around a cartoon globe, with interactive buildings including a police station, a town hall and a school.
portal. Rather than just providing links to government departments as UK online had done, Directgov carried its own material, designed around users’ needs. The first three sections were for motorists, disabled people and parents.
Since 2004, the site has grown from 300,000 visits a month to over ten million, and involves 18 government departments. DirectgovKids was launched in March 2007.
(eGU) within the Cabinet Office
to become part of the Central Office of Information
(COI), an executive agency
of the Cabinet Office.
As part of the Transformational Government
strategy, an annual report was published in January 2007 stating that hundreds of government websites would be shut down "to make access to information easier" for people. In future, most government information will be streamlined through two main 'supersites' – either Directgov (for citizens) or Businesslink.gov.uk
(for businesses).
It was reported at the launch of the strategy that of 951 sites, only 26 would definitely stay, 551 would definitely close and hundreds more are expected to follow. About £9 million a year was expected to be saved over three years by cutting back on sites that do not serve a useful purpose. However it emerged shortly afterwards that this was misleading, as a large proportion of the 'blacklisted' sites had no plans for closure.
(DWP), in a machinery of government
change.
By the end of the fourth quarter of 2009 Directgov reported traffic statistics of circa 20 million hits a month of which over 8 million are unique users.
A national TV and radio advertising campaign was launched on the 4 January 2010 featuring a number of celebrities including Suggs
, Honor Blackman
and Kelly Brook
.
and BBC
, Directgov has twice hosted the Budget Day documents in March 2010 and June 2010. On Budget Day Directgov also provides real time updates from the Chancellor's speech on Twitter with the account @Directgov and using a custom Twitter widget. This strategic partnership was extended to cover the Comprehensive Spending Review on October 20, 2010. Citizen facing content for the spending review is to be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk/spendingreview which hosts the full documents.
Directgov will no longer host documents for the Budget from March 23, 2011. HM Treasury will now be the sole government host. Instead Directgov will focus more closely on editorial which communicates what the budget means for you. Coverage of the 2011 Budget can be found here http://www.direct.gov.uk/budget2011.
and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander
.
, Facebook
and on YouTube
,. Engagement and interaction may develop further in the future following the Spending Challenge website developed by Directgov in partnership with HM Treasury
, No. 10 Downing Street and the COI.
• Very useful
• Quite useful
• Unsure
• Not very useful
• Not at all useful
Directgov also invites users to leave comments (up to 500 characters) about how the page could be improved, but asks that users don't leave any personal details like name and address.
The data captured from Comment on this Article will be used for customer insight and product improvement. An overview of monthly ratings is available here http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/SiteInformation/DG_188378.
There was also a Directgov TV channel on Freeview
at number 106. It closed down in 2010.
wrote Directionlessgov.com to demonstrate that they could build something better in under an hour, by using a simple web page that linked to the Google
search engine. Directionlessgov was later upgraded to compare the results of Directgov’s own search engine with the Google results side by side. In discussion, one of the authors wrote:
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper in August 2007, the Chief Executive of Directgov, Jayne Nickalls, responded:
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
information and services.
The content is developed by government departments
Departments of the United Kingdom Government
Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Cabinet ministers who are usually called secretaries of state when they are in charge of Government departments called ministerial departments...
, working with a central Directgov team. The main outlet is via a website, though content and services are also delivered via mobile and interactive TV.
Directgov receives more than fifteen million visits a month, from around eight million unique users. In September 2007, the site received its one hundred millionth visitor since its launch in April 2004.
Services
Currently the website is primarily an information resource, providing users with officially written advice and information which is targeted to specific topics (e.g. motoring, money) and audiences (e.g. disabled people, parents). It also provides directories of government departments, agencies and local councils. There is also a Welsh languageWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
version of the site.
Application for documents
Over time, access to online government transactions and public services will be added to the site. The site currently links to a number of online transactions and forms such as applying for a passportPassport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
, buying a television licence
Television licence
A television licence is an official licence required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts...
, car licensing, registering to vote, and completing a Self Assessment tax return form.
Local services
Since 2006, users in England have been able to find out about a wide range of services provided by local councils in their area, from reporting illegally dumped rubbish to renewing a library book. Direct links to each type of service were collected from every local authority through the Local Directgov programme.Mobile version
A Directgov service is also available on mobile phoneMobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s by typing direct.gov.uk/mobile into the phone's browser. It was also on analogue teletext
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
pages and through digital interactive television
Interactive television
Interactive television describes a number of techniques that allow viewers to interact with television content as they view it.- Definitions :...
on Freeview channel 106 until 1 July 2010, Sky until 22 December 2010 and Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
until 31 March 2011.
Children
DirectgovKids is a separate website designed to help children aged 5 to 11 find out about the world around them, by exploring the places and people in their local community. The FlashAdobe Flash Player
The Adobe Flash Player is software for viewing multimedia, Rich Internet Applications and streaming video and audio, on a computer web browser or on supported mobile devices. Flash Player runs SWF files that can be created by the Adobe Flash authoring tool, by Adobe Flex or by a number of other...
animated site is based around a cartoon globe, with interactive buildings including a police station, a town hall and a school.
Disabled people
Directgov also provides a service that covers country wide customized maps for Blue Badge Holders with different base colors reflecting councils policies on Blue Badge Holder's parking. In addition to council policies this service also pin points the location of different features specific to disabled community.Launch
Directgov was launched in April 2004, replacing the UK onlineUkonline
Ukonline was a "portal" website of the UK Government linking to public sector information. The site was launched in 2001 and maintained by the Office of the e-Envoy ....
portal. Rather than just providing links to government departments as UK online had done, Directgov carried its own material, designed around users’ needs. The first three sections were for motorists, disabled people and parents.
Since 2004, the site has grown from 300,000 visits a month to over ten million, and involves 18 government departments. DirectgovKids was launched in March 2007.
Central Office of Information
In April 2006, Directgov moved from the e-Government UnitE-Government Unit
The e-Government Unit , the largest unit of the Cabinet Office of the government of the United Kingdom, is responsible for helping various government departments use information technology to increase efficiency and improve electronic access to government services...
(eGU) within the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
to become part of the Central Office of Information
Central Office of Information
The Central Office of Information is the UK government's marketing and communications agency. Its Chief Executive, currently Mark Lund, reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office...
(COI), an executive agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
of the Cabinet Office.
As part of the Transformational Government
Transformational Government
-Introduction:Transformational Government is a term which describes the use of computer-based information and communications technologies to enable radical improvement to the delivery of public services...
strategy, an annual report was published in January 2007 stating that hundreds of government websites would be shut down "to make access to information easier" for people. In future, most government information will be streamlined through two main 'supersites' – either Directgov (for citizens) or Businesslink.gov.uk
Business Link
Business Link is a government-funded business advice and guidance service in England. It consists of an online portal managed by HMRC, local/regional advisors and a national helpline.-History:...
(for businesses).
It was reported at the launch of the strategy that of 951 sites, only 26 would definitely stay, 551 would definitely close and hundreds more are expected to follow. About £9 million a year was expected to be saved over three years by cutting back on sites that do not serve a useful purpose. However it emerged shortly afterwards that this was misleading, as a large proportion of the 'blacklisted' sites had no plans for closure.
Department of Work and Pensions
As of 1 April 2008, Directgov moved again, from COI to the Department for Work and PensionsDepartment for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
(DWP), in a machinery of government
Machinery of government
The Machinery of Government means the interconnected structures and processes of government, such as the functions and accountability of departments in the executive branch of government...
change.
By the end of the fourth quarter of 2009 Directgov reported traffic statistics of circa 20 million hits a month of which over 8 million are unique users.
A national TV and radio advertising campaign was launched on the 4 January 2010 featuring a number of celebrities including Suggs
Suggs (singer)
Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
, Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman is an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger .-Early life:...
and Kelly Brook
Kelly Brook
Kelly Brook is an English model, actress, entrepreneur, television presenter and Playboy model.-Early life:...
.
Budget documents
In a strategic partnership with HM TreasuryHM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Directgov has twice hosted the Budget Day documents in March 2010 and June 2010. On Budget Day Directgov also provides real time updates from the Chancellor's speech on Twitter with the account @Directgov and using a custom Twitter widget. This strategic partnership was extended to cover the Comprehensive Spending Review on October 20, 2010. Citizen facing content for the spending review is to be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk/spendingreview which hosts the full documents.
Directgov will no longer host documents for the Budget from March 23, 2011. HM Treasury will now be the sole government host. Instead Directgov will focus more closely on editorial which communicates what the budget means for you. Coverage of the 2011 Budget can be found here http://www.direct.gov.uk/budget2011.
Government Digital Service
On July 20, 2010, Directgov was moved back to the Cabinet Office from the Department of Work and Pensions. From April 1, 2011 Directgov will become part of the Government Digital Service, overseen by the Public Expenditure Executive (Efficiency & Reform) which is co-chaired by Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis MaudeFrancis Maude
Francis Anthony Aylmer Maude is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, and as a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Horsham...
and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander
Danny Alexander
Daniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005....
.
Social media
Directgov is active on TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
,. Engagement and interaction may develop further in the future following the Spending Challenge website developed by Directgov in partnership with HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
, No. 10 Downing Street and the COI.
Comment on this Article
In April 2010 Directgov launched a "Comment on this Article" feature on each page. Users can give articles five ratings:• Very useful
• Quite useful
• Unsure
• Not very useful
• Not at all useful
Directgov also invites users to leave comments (up to 500 characters) about how the page could be improved, but asks that users don't leave any personal details like name and address.
The data captured from Comment on this Article will be used for customer insight and product improvement. An overview of monthly ratings is available here http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/SiteInformation/DG_188378.
There was also a Directgov TV channel on Freeview
Freeview
DTV Services, trading as Freeview, is the name for the collection of free-to-air services on the Digital Terrestrial Television platform in the UK. The service is jointly run by its five equal shareholders, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky and transmitter operator Arqiva. DTV Services is designed to market...
at number 106. It closed down in 2010.
Criticism
In 2005, several internet activists affiliated with mySocietyMySociety
mySociety is an e-democracy project of the UK-based registered charity named UK Citizens Online Democracy, that aims to build "socially focussed tools with offline impacts". It was founded by Tom Steinberg in September 2003, and started activity after receiving a £250,000 grant in September 2004...
wrote Directionlessgov.com to demonstrate that they could build something better in under an hour, by using a simple web page that linked to the Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
search engine. Directionlessgov was later upgraded to compare the results of Directgov’s own search engine with the Google results side by side. In discussion, one of the authors wrote:
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper in August 2007, the Chief Executive of Directgov, Jayne Nickalls, responded: