Threat to Online Communities

1.50.52pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 3rd Jan 2007

Lack of volunteers and of funding mean that the future of the Online Communities - which started and flourished in Hampton before being launched in other parts of the borough - is in serious doubt. The founder, and manager of the sites, John Inglis, has decided that he cannot keep the system going in its present form because of the enormous amount of time involved, and lack of support.

Vincent Cable, MP, commented that: "It would be a major loss for the local community if the Online Communities were forced to close. They have created, particularly in areas where they are well used like Hampton, a real sense of community, an electronic village. Moreover residents who use the sites have access to immediate local news, ahead of the weekly newspapers, and to debates around the local issues".

"In the last parliament I secured a debate on Online Communities since it was clear that although the government, and councils, spend a fortune of tax payers money on e-government, and their own websites, the voluntary groups, like ours, reach more people, better, yet are largely ignored, disadvantaged and unsupported. Because the voluntary, network, services are free, they are largely taken for granted and their loss will only be fully appreciated when they are gone".