Local authority websites

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Local authority websites

• Better connected 2003
• Vicky Sargent
• Marketing Consultant, Socitm

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Presentation content

• About the Better Connected surveys
• Better Connected 2003 results
• Who uses local authority sites?
• What do they use them for?
• Why some sites are better used than others

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Our Better Connected reports
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Plus

• And many consultancy assignments linked to the
  reports
• (eg management arrangements at our top 20 sites)

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How Better Connected is researched

• Four scenarios Person leaving school
• Person planning visit to area
• Relative caring for elderly person
• Person in social housing
• Five themes Access to council
• Joined up government
• Usability
• Currency
• Interactive applications
• Innovations and howlers
• ..and the e-mail test

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Examples of our 46 questions

• Can I find information about local attractions?
• Can I ask the council to remove an abandoned car
  from outside my house?
• Does the site search return the most useful basic
  information first?
• Can I make a building control application online?
  
• Does Whats on? show only coming events?
• Can I e-mail my local councillor direct?

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And some additional tests

• Accessibility for the disabled (with RNIB)
• Technical performance - speed and availability of
  home page (with Site Confidence)
• Technical integrity absence of broken links,
  emails working etc (with SiteMorse)

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Better Connected 2003

• Top 20 sites
• Most improved sites
• Best sites by type of authority
• Detailed results
• Case for improvement
• Issues of content mgmt
• Issues of usability

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Our ranking system

• P Promotional site
• C Content site
• C Content plus site
• T Transactional site

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A transactional site..

• accessible, complete, thoughtful, and coherent
• more than one type of online interaction (eg
  payment, applications, consultation, bookings)
• examples of customer recognition (eg ability to
  check outstanding Council Tax balance, renew
  library books)
• specific e-mail contacts for different service
  enquiries
• uses databases, downloadable forms and online
  form filling (e.g. for service requests,
  appointments)
• uses the potential of the Internet for joined-up
  government (e.g. OFSTED reports listed alongside
  schools listings, life event scenarios)

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Local authorities serve many customers

• parent
• tourist
• resident
• local business
• potential employer
• library user
• Council Tax payer
• recipient of benefit
• student
• retired person
• researcher into family history
• former resident

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and provide many services

• Education
• Social services
• Planning applications
• Roads maintenance
• Housing
• Library services
• Benefits
• Street lighting
• Leisure services
• Refuse collection
• Waste management

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and, finally, we have a complex form of government

• Two-tier local government in some parts
• Single tier in other parts
• Devolved administration in Scotland, Wales (and
  NI)
• Regional assemblies / chambers and the GLA
• The NHS
• The police service
• The fire service
• The mixed social housing sector
• Central government depts and agencies

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Key findings.

• 2002 2003

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Key findings.

• All local authorities now have website
• Over 1 in 3 websites have moved up one position
  in a four stage ranking system
• Transactional sites now 10 (4 in 2002)
• No of transactions increased by over 50
• 44 increase in Yes to repeat Qs
• Correlation between CPA and website rankings
• London boroughs are leading the way

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But still plenty of room for improvement.

• inadequate search engines in many cases
• 48 failure in metatag test
• scope for usability testing
• accessibility standard levelling out
• big variations in opening speed and availability
  of home page
• Number of errors ranges from 0 to 10,000

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Who uses public sector websites?

• 20 for BBC
• 10 for Inland Revenue
• 6 for other government depts etc
• 5 for NHS Direct
• 4 for Dept of Work Pensions
• 4 for UK Online
• and local authorities..
• MORI Dec 2002

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Who uses local authority websites?

• 8 have used council websites in the last year
  
• Remember
• 80 of government transactions take place with
  local, not central government
• MORI Dec 2002

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The market leaders in terms of usage

• By market share
• Hants CC
• Devon CC
• Manchester City
• Leeds City
• Milton Keynes

• By market share (weighted)
• Corp of London
• Cambridge City
• Milton Keynes
• Tameside MBC
• Chester City
• Newcastle City
• Dundee City
• Bath NE Somerset
• Isle of Wight
• Devon CC

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Some questions to ask?

• Why Cambridge, not Oxford?
• Why Tameside, not Stockport?
• Why Brent, not Havering?
• Why Newcastle, not Birmingham?
• Why Dundee, not Glasgow?
• And why Milton Keynes?

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Some messages from the market leaders

• Make sure web address on all stationery and
  publications
• Put out press releases for launching new
  facilities
• Encourage service managers to promote their
  initiatives
• Hold local website awards ceremonies
• Make use of college courses
• Consider radio advertising, posters on buses,
  brochures and street banners
• But more importantly

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Some messages from the market leaders

• Focus on topics with news value
• Famous local attractions (eg theatre in
  Cambridge)
• Big local events (eg Great North Run)
• Strong community portals (eg MKWeb)
• Strong community identity (eg IoW)
• Local emergencies (eg flooding)
• Everywhere, job vacancies

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And now an example

• The severe
• floods of
• January 1/2
• 2003
• Diss
• Worcester
• Marlow
• Chertsey

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and on that day

• The Environmental Agency flood warning
• website was itself flooded out owing to
• overwhelming demand back up on 5
• January as a slimmed down interim service!

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Focus on topics with news value

• Not just relevant news stories, but also
• Whats On? guide
• Stories about local events
• Lively home page
• and above all
• Up-to-date information

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Is your site up to date?

• Council Whats on has old dates, no 2003 (Carrick
  )
• Events database appeared to be empty (Gwynedd )
• Highlights October events (Mid-Beds)
• The events list just says 'no current events' -
  either South Hams is the quietest place in the
  UK, or someone has forgotten to update this in
  what should be one of the busiest holiday seasons
  of the year!
• After 1 April 1999 the Council's Cash Offices at
  Amlwch and Menai Bridge will close. (Anglesey)

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Is your site up to date?

• Latest news and events found Don't miss the
  new Summer 2002 Events Programme at Barry Island
  (Vale of Glamorgan)
• Council Housing - 'during the past year(97/98)'
  (Gravesham )
• Some of the What's On info as old as
  May(Salisbury)
• BUT There were council minutes online from a
  meeting just three days before I reviewed the
  site!
• (Swansea)
• Superb What's on section, which first shows a
  long list of 'today's events' before allowing you
  complete interactivity in selecting other days or
  periods to view (Sunderland).

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People prefer to use their council's websites
for the following

• find information about local issues affecting
  them personally (66)
• Find information about council services (55)
• send the council comments about services they
  provide (45)
• find out what the council's priorities are (43)
• receive information about planning issues(42)
• complete applications (eg, for school transfer)
  (26)
• get information on council expenditure (23)
• find out information about local councillors
  (20)
• MORI via IDeA

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The top counties in 2002

• The most popular areas were job vacancies,
  libraries, education and the Record Office.
  On-line facilities included renewing library
  books and accessing the library catalogue and
  reporting a highways fault. The facility to add
  information to a community organisation database
  and an events calendar was also popular.

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Our sample e-mail test

• Q My neighbour is planning a bonfire party
• with fireworks on 5 November. Is there
• anything I can do to prevent him?
• A 67 replied within 3 days (34 in 2002)
• 78 replied within 10 days (41 in 2002)

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Our sample e-mail test
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Our sample e-mail test

• The good
• Thank you for your enquiry regarding Bonfires.
• I have forwarded your query to the Environmental
• Health Department, who should respond to you
• direct. I have recorded your details and your
  Call
• ID is 102562/JT25. If you have no response,
  please do not
• hesitate to contact us again to enable us to
  complete your
• enquiry.(Herefordshire)

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Our sample e-mail test

• And the not so good
• Nothing that I'm aware of. It sounds like a
  fairly normal event at that time of year. OR
• Custom and practice would indicate that a party
  held in a sensible manner is to be tolerated. OR
• You are at liberty to invoke private action. OR
• With regard to fireworks, these are only
  available through licensed outlets or production
  of a licence from the N.I. Office  The PSNI are
  the relevant enforcing authority

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In conclusion

• Many very good sites (and getting better)
• Many very good facilities on other sites
• Well developed sites reflect good corporate
  management (CPA analysis)

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THANK YOU