E-Government Implementation Challenges in UK: A Case Study of Trading Standards Department

The governments in many countries have invested significantly in building an electronic infrastructure to support e-government initiatives. However, there is mixed evidence about the success of e-government initiatives whether such initiatives result in improved service and enhanced satisfaction for the citizens. In this paper, we report the findings of a case study of e-government implementation undertaken recently at a local government authority in the UK. Despite the push by the UK government to offer public services electronically and the success of such efforts at National Health Services Direct (NHSD) in the UK, local authorities in the UK have not been able to replicate the success of e-government initiatives at NHSD. Consequently, local authorities in the UK have largely failed to meet the expectations of the UK government and the needs of the communities they serve by not being able to offer efficient electronic services. We use the framework proposed by Heeks to understand the underlying reasons for the failure of local authorities to implement e-government successfully. Using a case study of a local authority in the UK, this paper contributes to our understanding about successful implementation and adoption of e-government initiatives at the local government level.