Fed up of queues, Brits want Post Office services online

Three quarters of the British public want public services such as voting, benefit claims and GP appointments to be transferred online in the next five years.

This is according to a report by National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), with 84 per cent saying it would save them time by avoiding chores such as queuing, making trips or waiting on the phone.

More than half (60 per cent) believed that it would be easier to access essential services if they were moved online.

"It's clear that the UK is committed to an online future," said Jonathan Kestenbaum, chief executive of NESTA, in a statement.

"We've got to use this to our advantage by making our public services to people. Our economy will depend on it," he said.

Although there was clear enthusiasm for online public services, almost half (43 per cent) were unfamiliar with the government's roadmap of the UK's digital future in Digital Britain.

Despite this, half of the respondents still wanted to give their own views on what online services should be delivered.