By John Healey MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury Reproduced by permission of eGov Monitor Weekly.The view of e-Government from the center highlights the major challenges facing public services. The author highlights the priorities which include putting the citizen at the center of services, providing online transaction facilities, encouraging take-up and ensuring that there is easy access for all.

This paper from the Audit Commission looks at how lessons from partnership working can be used to tackle some of the problems facing local strategic partnerships working on neighbourhood renewal. It outlines areas of concern: including tensions and disagreements between partners due to different expectations and ambitions for the partnership, a reluctance to close down existing partnerships when local strategic partnerships seek to rationalise local arrangements and poor operating procedures in the running of partnerships. It provides guidance and support for those engaged in inter-agency working and identifies the issues driving the growth of partnership working.Published by the Audit Commission: http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk

Read more on NEIGHBOURHOOD RENEWAL AND PARTNERSHIPS…

The Government has begun consultations on ways to tackle problems linked to alcohol abuse as an important step in the production of a national strategy on reducing the harm caused by excessive drinking.The National Health Service Plan pledges the Department of Health will implement a National Alcohol Strategy by 2004 and, launching the consultation, junior Health Minister Hazel Blears, said it was on target to achieve this.

Read more on CONSULTATION BEGINS ON NATIONAL ALCOHOL STRATEGY…

Local authorities are helping to get more people to register to vote and to turn out at elections, according to research carried out for the Electoral Commission.The Commission is calling on councils to build on the work they have already done since the 2001 General Election saw voter turn out drop to an historic low of 59.4 per cent.

Read more on REPORT SAYS COUNCILS CAN MAKE DIFFERENCE TO POLL TURNOUTS…