News

3 Mar 06

BoP Makes It Into This Year's Top 20

 

Poole Council’s website continues to ride its wave of success in 2006 as boroughofpoole.com (BoP) is rated in the Top 20 of all 467 local authority websites. 

 

Rated by the Society of Information Technology Managers (Socitm), the survey ‘Better Connected’ highlights Poole as an example of general best practice, for such things as ‘useful content’ and consistent use of ‘Plain English’.

 

Toby McConnell, e-Communications Manager, Borough of Poole, said: "With expectations on websites increasing all the time it is a great result for BoP this year.  It shows that size doesn’t matter - as a relatively small unitary authority being judged so highly against London Boroughs, County Councils and Metropolitans with far greater resources this is a fantastic achievement and proves that Poole has one of the best local authority sites in the country.  However we cannot afford to rest on our laurels, Socitm are introducing a new grading system, reflecting growing expectations, for next year’s survey in order to stretch the capabilities of the best sites like ours.” 

 

BoP retains its ‘transactional’ status, which is the highest level of classification, and shows continued improvement as highlighted earlier this year in Socitm’s ‘Six of the Best’ survey.  Criteria for selection of the six was that the websites must have been rated in the annual survey at the highest level for at least the last two years and that they must reflect the different types of authority. Only two unitary authorities in England were eligible and boroughofpoole.com was chosen.

 

The success of the site is reflected in the number of visitors it is attracting - unique visitors for January 06 totalled 64,000 - up 75% from the same month last year! (37,597). The most popular areas of the site are Childcare, Job Vacancies and Planning Applications. 

 

Cllr Neil Sorton, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Resources, Borough of Poole, said: ”Improving access to the Council and providing services online is increasingly important and with public expectation rising all the time we need to keep on top of the growing world of e-communications.  Websites are helping us transform the customer experience of Local Government and many more people are now using the site to do business with the council than ever before, making us a more efficient and effective organisation.  I am delighted boroughofpoole.com continues to be at the cutting edge of local authority websites.”

 

Transactional sites are accessible, complete, thoughtful and coherent. They must have developed more than one type of online interaction (eg payment, applications, consultation, bookings) and also offer examples of customer recognition (eg ability to check outstanding Council Tax balance). They also provide specific email contacts for different service enquiries and make widespread use of databases, downloadable forms and online form filling (eg for service requests, appointments). They routinely utilise the potential of the Internet for joined-up government (eg OFSTED reports listed alongside schools listings) and offer unique examples of the application of the medium in a local government context.

 

In 2005 boroughofpoole.com had 385,265 unique visitors to the site. These visitors together viewed 5.14 million pages on the site.  Socitm have highlighted the following as good examples of practice and can help you navigate the site to find out what you want:

  

Look out for more additions coming soon to the Council’s website. If you have any comments, email them to webmaster@boroughofpoole.com

Toby McConnell, e-Communications Manager, Communications, Borough of Poole, tel 01202 633276

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