Newtownabbey Council's online offering is more than just another
council Web site, writes Karl Cushing
People's expectations of council Web sites are changing. Members of
the public increasingly expect to carry out transactions online and
gain access to more information and services.
One council that has taken this onboard is Newtownabbey in Northern
Ireland. Although the council did not start to implement its Web
site until April 2000, it has since made up for lost time.
Recognition of the site's progress came in May when it picked up a
local government Web site award.
Tracey White, the council's senior marketing officer, says the main
reason for the delay was that the council was moving premises. "A
lot of IT issues were put on the back burner until we moved," she
explains. In fact, the council did not even have internal e-mail
until it moved into its new premises.
There were also some major resource issues to be resolved such as
content management. Another problem was that certain sections in
the council had to be convinced of the importance of introducing a
Web site. "I wouldn't say there was resistance to it but some
people have not seen it as a priority," says White.
But this delay has turned out to be an advantage. "We had more of
an idea of what we wanted and were able to go live with a lot of
information," she says. "We wanted it to be a community portal
rather than a council site." The site includes local links, advice
for local businesses and daily updates of local news items.
White puts the success of the site down to two key areas. As a
result of the council's efforts to promote the site internally, she
says that staff now believe it is important and are devoting more
time and effort to it. The ongoing relationship with local Web site
design company Uppercase Communications has also been significant.
Uppercase has been involved with the project almost since day one.
The council makes suggestions and the company shows how they can be
achieved, such as making the site accessible to visually impaired
members of the public.
The council has recently added a local business register on the
site. "For some of the businesses it is the first online presence
they have had," says White. "It is part of the whole 'reaching out'
process." The next step will be to add more services for
schools.
The council also intends to include more interactive user services
over the next 18 months and include more transaction-based
facilities such as the ability to pay council tax online. However,
there are a lot of issues here, not just relating to IT.
"There is always a danger of moving forward too quickly and not
taking people with you," says White. "But we are not afraid to try
new things."
Website address:
www.newtownabbey.gov.uk/