COUNCIL leaders are hoping to establish a system allowing online bill payments to be made 24 hours a day through the authority's website.

Hambleton District Council is considering a proposal from banking giant Girobank as part of a bid to meet Government targets on e-commerce.

The joint scheme would allow the authority to accept payments through the Internet at any time. Council officers believe the demand would create about 500 transactions a year.

The Government has set targets for councils across the country to achieve 24-hour access to local government services by 2005, but Hambleton is keen to have a system in place by 2003.

The council's director of financial services, Phillip Morton, said: "Girobank is offering an electronic bill payment service from its own website, which can be linked to the council's website, giving a seamless service provision.

"Demand for the service is likely to be very limited in the early years.

"However, it is important that the service is available, thus fulfilling the council's e-commerce requirements in this area.

"The Girobank service is similar to payments currently received from banks, for which the council gets charged 6p per transaction.

"The Girobank approach is considerably more expensive at 25p per transaction, but it achieves compliance with e-commerce objectives and has no other set-up and running costs."

Members of the council's policy and resources committee will discuss the matter on Thursday, and are expected to support the Internet payment service.

They will also be asked to consider further improvements to the payment service, including bringing in the use of debit cards - such as Switch and Delta - at Hambleton civic centre and other area offices.

Mr Morton said: "It is considered that an expansion of the payment options to allow payment by debit cards at cash offices is necessary to keep up to date in changes in technology. This approach could have an added bonus of enabling bonus payments over the phone, which may be attractive to people.