The digital divide and the quality of electronic service delivery in local government in the United Kingdom

This study examines the relationship between the quality of electronic service delivery (ESD) and the levels of Internet access across the 12 official regions of the United Kingdom. A random sample of 236 local government websites was assessed for the quality of ESD. The results indicate that in contrast to regions of high household Internet access, the quality of local government websites in regions of low household Internet access was significantly poorer in terms of information content and relatively limited in terms of the range of e-enabled services. The policy implications of the findings are Discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.