UK Gov trashes 551 of its own web sites

THE UK GOVERNMENT is preparing to shut down hundreds of its own web sites as part of a cunning plan to revamp its online offerings.

Some 551 of its sites are earmarked for closure in a move the Cabinet Office described as a "natural step".

The plans are outlined in a Government report entitled Transformational Government Annual Report 2006, which is available online here.

You might think the move reveals one big cock-up. Not so, spin ministers.

The Minister for Transformational Government, Pat McFadden, said yesterday: "This report demonstrates how millions of people are benefiting from our use of technology everyday. We are dealing decisively with the proliferation of government websites by getting rid of more than 500. We are ensuring that the quality of our services will not be affected by these changes."

Civil servants are shifting any useful information to a small number of what the Cabinet Office calls "supersites", in order, it says, to make the whole process of digging up information easier for taxpayers.

Of 951 sites the Government operates, only 26 will definitely stay online. Most of the rest will be cybertrashed. µ