LOCAL MPs, businesses and councillors will be joined by representatives from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the Department for Trade and Industry to recognise the significant work the ground-breaking project SmartCities has achieved.

The scheme beat off stiff competition to scoop the Best Public Sector IT Project in Computing magazine's industry awards 2002.

The celebration event will be hosted by SmartCities consortium at the Civic Centre in Southampton on Tuesday.

The project started three years ago with a £134,000 cash boost from the EC.

Tuesday's event will celebrate what has been achieved with that funding and will look forward to further developments following future significant funding from the ODPM.

The SmartCities scheme has seen Southampton become a model for future smart card projects across the UK and Europe.

Southampton City Council has been working with its co-ordinating partner SchlumbergerSema and the University of Southampton to help the city's residents benefit from the latest generation of the credit card-sized smart cards.

The card, which includes the cardholder's name and photograph, can be used for the following:

Proof of ID and age

Library services

Leisure services at six of the city's leisure venues

Secure access to online reporting of housing repairs

Bus passes on Uni-link buses

Reward points with the Worldcard Loyalty Programme

This summer the card will also be used for the first time by pupils in Bellemoor School, Shirley, to pay for their school meals.

During the card's development the council has also developed links with a wide group of public and private partners across Europe, including the University of Namur, in Belgium and the City of Gothenburg.

A SmartCities Interest Group has also been established with about 30 member cities from Europe to help develop open, technical and best practice standards for multi-application cards.

Southampton's SmartCities programme manager Rob Gair said: "We are delighted with the work we have achieved so far.

"The developments that have taken place up to now will provide an excellent programme on which to build our e-government strategy.

"The smart card already delivers a wide variety of valuable services to our residents and new applications and services are planned to be added to the card over the next few years."