Guidance on Best Value, to assist authorities in their preparations for the introduction of the new duty on 1 April 2000, is likely to be well-thumbed in many parts of the public sector.The theme of seeking ‘best value’ from public money is now common in the health service and in Government departments, with the National Audit Office using the term in its recent report on the Highways Agency. 

The National Audit Office says there’s much to be done to meet Tony Blair’s 2002 target for a quarter of all transactions between citizens and government to be capable of being conducted electronically.But in a report, Government on the Web, the NAO says the target has successfully acted as a spur to spawning a much increased awareness of agencies and departments to the potential of the web.