News Release
New answer to saving deprived communities from internet “cold shoulder”
20th September 2008
Stand 10, Labour Party Conference Exhibition
Ambitious Government targets to reduce “citizen contact” by 50% by 2011 risk leaving large parts of the UK population out in the cold where public service delivery is concerned, according to first time Labour Party Conference exhibitors, istop kiosks.
The kiosk technology company has brought its Mobile Roadshow to Manchester to demonstrate the full range of benefits offered by its community touchscreen kiosks, especially in deprived inner city and remote rural areas.
The kiosks are already widely used across the North East of England, where they are sited in independent shops, regional retail chains and Post Offices. Other commissions are due to start in central England in November.
A partnership with Jobcentre Plus means that each kiosk location is immediately transformed into a local job centre. User research shows that in some cases this innovation is saving job-seekers from 20 mile round-trips to their nearest Job Centre and dramatically reducing travel expenses.
Jonathan Savitt of istop says, “We are here to stress the importance to both local and national authorities of using a broad mix of communications channels – not just the internet - to deliver important information to citizens. The Government is clearly aware of the risks involved with its current transformation agenda, nevertheless it’s not until national departments and local authorities see and use our kiosks that they realise what a valuable addition they can be to their channel strategies and information delivery plans.”
He adds, “Kiosk technology has come a long way in the last five years. Our information delivery system meets the needs of a wide range of diverse public sector organisations and our ambition is to extend coverage of the network across the UK. We want to ensure that all citizens receive fair and equal access to information and that service transformation doesn’t lead to alienation. The facts suggest it could happen. 40% of the population still do not have internet access at home [National Audit Office Report July 2007] and 39% of the UK population still do use the internet.”
Shelagh Keyse, Director, Customer Services Directorate at Jobcentre Plus says;
“Jobcentre Plus is delighted to work with istop in bringing a range of information and services to customers through its network of local kiosks. By linking customers to the Jobcentre Plus Jobpoint, the kiosks provide an invaluable resource for anyone looking for work or who may need information about welfare benefits. Providing access to this service for even more people can only be seen as a good thing.”
