Complaints spark council website revamp

A MAJOR upgrade of Highland Council’s website – which receives millions of hits a year – will be unveiled next year costing £154,000.

The local authority is pressing ahead with plans to overhaul the busy website in April 2014 so it can serve its people better.

Increasing numbers of people are now using www.highland.gov.uk and the council says it wants to make it easier for them to pay bills or report problems like pot holes or broken streetlights.

It has more than 22,000 website pages on a huge range of topics but 80 per cent of its online traffic is concentrated on only 800 pages featuring key information on schools, planning, job vacancies and housing.

The most popular pages will influence the new website’s layout amid complaints from frustrated users who struggling to find the information they want.

The contract for the upgrade has been awarded to Leicester-based firm Jadu, which designed an award-winning website for Manchester’s local authority.

The council wants to develop a "four-star" website with easier navigation a priority.

The project will cost £154,000 with the money spent on staff costs, the design and upgrading its current online management system.

"We receive approximately 700,000 page views a month," said a council spokesman. "The aim of the new web site is to make it easier to pay bills, book activities and report faults etc," he said.

Thirty different services are available online but the council intends to double that number.

Mr Scott described the current website’s content on the website as "mixed" because of the sheer volume and number of different authors.

"The project will protect the integrity, tone and quality on the new website." he states.

On Wednesday the finance, housing and resources committee will be asked to note the progress made so far.