Transactional website development

Since our web site was launched Monday 29th October 2001 we have undertaken an extensive programme of work to develop a fully transactional website.

What features make the website transactional?

Making it easy to contact us

A variety of channels are available for customers to use:

• Published email contact addresses (includes phone list).
• Published email response standards.
• Contact form, for users without email, or those at a kiosk.
• WAP site with contact, tourist accommodation, event and other information (you will need a portable device, or device emulator for your PC to view these pages).
• Automated telephone payments (365 x 24).
• Emergency contact information.

There are also published standards for responses.

Customer recognition

Users can:

• Subscribe to content on our website.
• Subscribe to content from our meeting/agenda/minutes system, based on location and other criteria.
• Check their council tax and NNDR statements/balances.

Content

Content is up to date, accurate and joined up:

• 36 staff from different council departments update the content of the website using our Immediacy content management system.
• The local Times & Star newspaper provides a news feed for our website home page.
• Events are supplied by the Cumbria DMS (Destination Management System). Since November 2002 citizens and organisations have been able to submit events using an on-line form. 
• The website provides an authoritative and up to date news source. Since October 2003 the latest news and press releases have been supplied as RSS newsfeed.
• Chemist rota added May 2006; information supplied by the Times & Star. 
• In April 2006 an RSS jobs feed was added to the site.
• To promote Workington's town centre redevelopment we have added a webcam to the website, with an image on the home page. This is linked to from the BBC website. 
• The A to Z and Life events pages provide a joined up view to users.
• Allerdale have implemented a wide range of shortcut URLs ('friendly URLs') , to make it easier for our partners and other organisations to deep link to our website.
• A range of multimedia content is available on the website, including webcam, streamed video of art installations, and streamed audio.
• Allerdale Borough Council also hosts a number of websites for other organisations and groups. Most of these websites have been designed and developed by Allerdale Borough Council including:
  Carnegie Theatre Workington www.carnegietheatre.co.uk
  World Mountain Running Championship www.mountainrunningkeswick.org.uk

Participation and consultation

Users can:

View a comprehensive list of our current and recent public consultations is available. This includes links to the report documents resulting from the consultation process.

• Participate in on-line polls. An archive of previous polls is also maintained.
• Make a complaints or compliment.
• Contribute to our on-line 'Have you say' forums. These were redesigned in September 2004 to make them easier for citizens to use.
• Subscribe to content from our meeting/agenda/minutes system, based on location and other criteria.
• Our Allerdale Outlook Magazine is now available as an audio stream.
• Our first Councillor websites went live in November 2005:
  Councillor Margaret Jackson www.allerdale.gov.uk/margaretjackson
  Councillor Peter Bales www.allerdale.gov.uk/peterbales
  Councillor Sam Standage www.allerdale.gov.uk/samstandage

Information on all services, with report/application forms

Users have access to services they require through:

• The majority of our website forms are now on-line interactive eforms, using a system developed by IDOX.
• Many eforms are now integrated with our internal systems e.g. bin collection date form.
• A benefits entitlement calculator was added to the website in 2006.
• On-line Planning applications through the Planning Portal, including payments went live in November 2005.
• Other planning forms went on-line through the Planning Portal through OneApp in November 2007.
• Service information pages covering all BV157 ESD Toolkit PIDs.
• Internet on-line payments live November 2002.

and joined up services through:

• Deep linking to other council and organisation information sources.
• Life events pages with information links.
• An A-Z Directory of services, with a new autoupdating system deployed in early 2006. This provides service information pages deep linking to other councils, organisations and service providers.
• The Cumbria Information Hub provides searching and an A to Z across Cumbria.

Usability

Users can easily find information:

• A Google mini search device was implemented in April 2006. This provides a much improved search for all our website pages.
• A powerful search facility is also available for our agenda/minutes/meeting system.
• Searchable A-Z directory of services.
• The latest metadata standards implemented throughout the site. Website page metadata updated to conform to the latest eGMS standards, this also includes Dublin Core.
• Our website menu was redeveloped to match the LGNL (Local Government Navigation List).
• ICRA ratings added November 2002.
• Easy to use navigation through search, most popular links, on-line services 'pay it' - 'Report or apply for it' - 'book it' and life events
• User defined access keys added in September 2007, to improve website accessibility.
• In October 2007 the Readspeaker system was added to the website, to enable visitors to hear the content of pages. Try listening to our Council tax page.

Content has been tested and audited:

• A usability report was conducted by Cybermoor Services Ltd in August 2004 on our electronic forms. As a result of the report a number of changes were made to improve the user experience and make the forms easier to complete.
  A further usability study on our complete website was completed in November 2005. As a result of this study some significant changes were made to the design and structure of the website.
  In 2007 a series of home page usability tests were run, and a full usability test of the website was undertaken by North Square. As a result of these tests further enhancements were made to the website.
• New website design complies with the highest accessibility standards WAI AAA.
• On-line forms tested by RNIB 'See it right' to comply with WAI AAA standards.
• Audit Commission inspection report in September 2004 on accessibility rates 'website is easy to access and navigate, it has developed, has discussion fora and allows e-payments; service staff now have ownership of service web pages'.
• Plain English Campaign Crystal Mark awarded July 2004.
• Translation services to many languages are available if required. We are working to provide additional languages e.g. Polish.
• Maps are provided with many information sources e.g. recycling sites etc.
• Allerdale website quoted as an example of best practice by Ordnance Survey in the use of Internet Street Mapping.
• A new Internet mapping system went live in November 2005 to provide customers with access to Allerdale maps, and a 'find my nearest' facility. The interface to the system was jointly developed with GDC. GDC were acquired by Pitney Bowes MapInfo in 2007.
• In 2007 a 'My property' link was added to the home page to provide residents and businesses with information relating to their property e.g. planning applications in their area.

Website resilience, reliability, performance and integrity maintained through:

• Resilience testing services implemented from Axzona, alerting on website service performance issues.
• Monthly performance figures are available. In terms of website response time, these figures, provided by Axzona, are based on a more rigorous methodology than that provided by Sitemorse.
• Sitemorse service implemented to ensure website integrity, freedom from broken links and other errors. The site has been highly ranked (15th out of 468 council websites) in Sitemorse tests.
• Website content templates designed for those on different browsers, different Internet connection speeds, different screen sizes. Templates and necessary images have been optimised to ensure fast download times, particularly for those operating over slow Internet connections.
• From August 2007 the Site Improve service has been used to check for broken links, spelling and other potential errors or issues with the website.

If you have any suggestions as to how the site could be improved, please contact webmaster@allerdale.gov.uk, or complete our on-line contact form.

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