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30 Mar 99

CABINET OFFICE IDENTIFIES BOROUGH OF POOLE AS A MODERNISING LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The Cabinet Office puts the spotlight on the Borough of Poole as an example of good practise for the launch of the Modernising Government White Paper being published today - Tuesday 30th March 1999.

The Paper is a blue print for the biggest ever drive to modernise public services and one of the interactive features on the Council's web site, the 'OpenZone', has been chosen as an example of a way in which Poole is meeting the challenge and modernising.

OpenZone is a feature of the Council's website which allows people to register their e-mail addresses and select areas that are of particular interest to them so they can be kept up to date on Poole's developments in these areas. OpenZone is accessed from the home page of the Council's website www.poole.gov.uk

Karen Hogarty, Borough of Poole Marketing Manager said: "While on one hand we strive to provide more direct, traditional methods of communication such as Poole News - the Council's newspaper, we recognise that that the Internet is the way of the future and we want to be ready when it arrives. We are already receiving 300 hits a day to the website and this will allow us far more feedback to the community and interaction. We anticipate that by 2002 as many as 5,000 users will be registered on the OpenZone. This will allow us to have on-line debates and consultation in the future."

Hilary Armstrong MP, Minister for Local Government and Housing, was the first person to register on OpenZone when it was officially launched at a special Poole exhibition at the House of Commons on the 8th March 1999. The exhibition featured Poole Britannia, dynamic and innovative Poole businesses and Modernising Local Government which highlighted ways in which the Borough of Poole is modernising.

Other examples of how the Poole Council is modernising include:
· The MORI residents survey which asked residents their views on the Council and the services it provides which will be used to shape the future development of services;
· The Poole Key Foster Carer scheme which offers a positive alternative to residential care for young people;
· The Waste Watchers waste minimisation scheme which encourages residents to reduce, re-use and recycle and a 10% more campaign to increase turnout at the local elections on 6 may 1999.

Karen Hogarty, Marketing Manager - tel. 01202 633278