KING’S LYNN: Council’s website rated one of best in UK

Published on 05/03/2013 15:09

West Norfolk Council’s website has been praised for its usability and awarded top marks in a survey which reviews all the local authority websites in the UK.

The council’s website – www.west-norfolk.gov.uk – has been awarded the maximum four stars in the annual Better Connected review by the Society of Information Technology Management (SOCITM).

The survey focuses on usability, structure, content and the ease of completing tasks online on all local authority websites.

In the review, SOCITM said that West Norfolk Council’s website “has a very good structure, a task-focused approach and is stronger in many areas than many a larger council with bigger budgets. Overall this is a strong showing, particularly for a smaller council, and demonstrates that offering good online services is not about technological bells and whistles but about usability, and a sense of place.”

The full review can be seen at http://www.socitm.net/betterconnected

Web team manager Andrew Howell said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the small but dedicated team who deliver our online services. We’ve made a number of improvements to the website over the past 12 months so we were hopeful of improving on our 2012 rating of two stars. To achieve the four-star rating is something that we’re really proud of.

“It’s also good news for our customers, who can access a wide range of online services anytime, day or night. It also means that when they visit our website, they can find the information they are looking for quickly, easily and with the minimum amount of fuss.”

Over the past year, the council has revamped a number areas of the website, including the Planning and Leisure sections making information easier to find and understand.

The council recently launched Find my Nearest (www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/mynearest) which allows residents to find information about local services close to them. The Find my Nearest system was highlighted in the SOCITM review as one of the best of its kind in the UK.

Forthcoming features for the website include the availability of online bin collection calendars ready for when the new alternate weekly waste collection service starts in April. These will be accessed through the Find my Nearest system.

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KING’S LYNN: Council’s website rated one of best in UK

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