Information about public services in Suffolk can now be accessed 24 hours a day via digital TV, thanks to a new initiative commissioned jointly by Suffolk, Ipswich and Babergh councils.

The Suffolk ICT Pathfinder project is pioneering the use of digital TV and other technology, such as internet kiosks, to deliver joined up and easily accessible public services in line with e-government targets.

Ipswich hi-tech specialists Smart421 and A Recipe for Success have worked alongside global giants Fujitsu and Sky to develop the digital TV service launched by Ipswich MP Chris Mole and Bill Edwards from the Office of the e-Envoy at the New Wolsey Theatre last Friday.

Mr Mole, who worked as a research manager at BT Labs (now BTexact) for 17 years, said as an MP he was concerned with the quality and quantity of public services available to his constituents.

"The focus of e-government should be citizen-centric. Television is the most ubiquitous of domestic technologies - almost everyone will have a digital television after the switchover from analogue by 2010," he said.

Suffolk County Councillor Kathy Pollard said the digital TV vehicle enabled local councils to reach more people living and working in the region. Just under 40% of the population already own digital televisions, she said, with a further 25% expected to acquire one by 2006.

It was another way of bridging the technology divide for those who could not afford internet access in the home, she said.