News and Communication

It has been awarded three star status and a “very good” rating in Socitm’s (the Society of Information Technology Management) “Better Connected” 2010 survey.

The annual survey tested the performance of 433 websites during November and December 2009 to see how they dealt with common queries and situations.

Three star status means that the council’s website is functional and performing above expectations and replaces the “transactional” rating which the council achieved last year.

The new ranking system rated websites from one star to four stars. A total of 106 sites were given three stars.

Socitm is the professional association for public sector ICT management.

Council Leader Simon Tagg, Cabinet member for customer service and transformation, said: “It’s excellent news that our website is among the best in the country.

“It is often the first port of call for residents and businesses who want to access council services in their own homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We have significantly improved the content over the past few years and continue to take advantage of modern communication methods such as videos, a Leader’s blog, podcasts and Facebook.”

Reviewers looked at a number of aspects including the use of links, provision of services, news value, general navigation, accessibility, readability and visitor satisfaction figures.

The council’s alphabetical list of services and use of plain English were held up as examples of best practice.

The planning portal system is described as “good”, the recycling and waste section “friendly and upbeat” and the council section “easy to use”.

Online consultations and follow-up reports are “particularly good” while the RNIB (the Royal National Institute of Blind People) praised the website for having “excellent accessibility”.

Overall, Socitm found that the site “performed very well and was very fast”.

Cllr. Tagg added: “A three star rating is an excellent achievement but we’re not going to rest on our laurels and have now drawn up an action plan to achieve four stars.”

Residents can pay their Council Tax, report graffiti, check out council vacancies and find out the latest news at www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk

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