Government to close up to 75pc of its websites and slash budgets for rest
THREE quarters of government websites will face the chop in a plan to slash the cost to the taxpayer.
The remainder of the existing 820 government-funded sites will also see their budgets chopped by up to 50 per cent under tough new rules outlined by Tory Francis Maude.
The government will explore which of the sites can be consolidated and how resources can be split between sites.
A Central Office of Information report flagged up several sites that have proved to be remarkably cost ineffective, including uktradeinvest.gov.uk, which cost a staggering £11.78 per visit, although the figure was disputed by UK Trade and Industry.
Maude blamed the Labour government for miring the public with far too many unnecessary and expensive “vanity sites”.
New digital consultant Martha Lane Fox is advising the coalition on how it can slash fat from the government network of websites. But Labour warned the move could end up costing the government even more.