Council websites have come a long way in the last few years, says Dan Jellinek. But they need to remain focused on what they are trying to provide Uk council websites have come a long way from the days of the first annual Better connected review of all sites, undertaken by the Society of IT Management (SOCITM). Back in 1998, only three-quarters of councils had any website at all, and of these, almost two-thirds (62%) were classed as ‘promotional sites’ – just a few pages of text with no online services. None were classed as ‘transactional’. This year’s review finds only nine councils still have merely promotional sites, and some 60 are classed as transactional. Progress has been such that by next year, SOCITM is scrapping the bottom category and adding a new one at the top, under ‘excellent’. But what kind of site will make it into this super league? Salford City Council website development manager, John Fox, says councils must avoid ‘aren’t we wonderful?’ pages, extolling the virtues of each directorate. ‘Aren’t we wonderful? pages tend to fail in the provision of any useful or credible information for citizens,’ says Mr Fox. ‘They waffle on, often at interminable length, about a particular team or function, and include lots of names and job responsibilities. ‘Possibly the worst sin of all is to publish an accompanying photograph of happy, smiling, team members. Does the public really need this information?’ According to Mr Fox, councils should think beyond their everyday remit. ‘A local authority’s website is primarily there to provide information and access to individual council services, but most councils overlook the fact that it also represents an inexpensive marketing resource for promoting all aspects of life in the locality, including non-council services.’ As an example he cites the ‘ghostcam’ at the reputedly-haunted Ordsall Hall, a feature of the Salford site which has gained a global following and boosted tourism (www.salford.gov.uk/ghostcam). Independent website consultant, Ann Bajina, agrees that many council sites suffer from being dull. But that is not necessarily a bad thing, she says. ‘Most council sites are such a bore. On the other hand, council information is boring, and trying to jazz it up with fancy graphics does not help me. I want a site which is easy to use, and has information about such things as what’s on and organisations, and which makes it easy to answer one simple question at a time.’ Ms Bajina also says local priorities should shape what a council places to the fore online. ‘In the early days, we encouraged councils to ask their receptionists what the most common and difficult queries were, but I suspect we’ve become focused on what central government thinks these ought to be. ‘I believe priorities are different in different areas. Of course, Hertfordshire can get parents to use the web to register their children for school – the demographics make that entirely predictable – but a location with lots of languages and a sizeable number of people on lower incomes, would not find it useful.’ Ultimately, it is the usability of the site by ordinary citizens which is the key to its success, according to Angela Frodin, website manager at Gloucestershire CC. ‘We have many devolved authors and we suggest that when they publish information, they should ask their colleagues to find it without any clues,’ Frodin says. ‘If people keep that focus then they don’t slip into the viewpoint of “this is what we want to tell you” and not, “this is what you’ve said you need”. ‘I think the most important element is to keep in mind the purpose of the site. It’s not to meet any “e-government targets”. Not a PR exercise. And certainly not a means of winning prizes. ‘We build our sites so that citizens can find information, apply for services, pay for services and report problems easily, 24 hours and day , seven days a week, without the need to visit or phone a council office.’ n Dan Jellinek is editor of E-Government Bulletin. The SOCITM/E-Government Bulletin conference Building the perfect council website takes place in London on 11 July (www.headstar-events.com/council)
