Nineteen local authorities have agreed to take part in a pilot scheme to explore how a secure ID assurance system can be integrated into online services.

The councils will work with the GOV.UK Verify team to tackle the problems that users face when applying for concessionary bus passes and resident parking permits.

In a blog post on the pilot, Irina Pencheva and Egle Uzkuraityte explained: ‘Our focus is on introducing an online option to access the service (where one doesn’t currently exist) or improving the existing offering through business process re-engineering and service redesign.

‘For residents in those areas it means they’ll have 24/7 access to a government service without having to physically bring, scan or post any documents in person to prove who they are.’

Future pilots will include redesigning more complex services such as council tax and customer accounts.