Experts’ praise for Bury Council’s top-rated new website

Bury Council’s new customer friendly website - bury.gov.uk - has been awarded top marks by industry professionals.

It has been given a 4-star rating in the national Better Connected awards by SOCITM (Society of Information Technology Management), which promotes the effective and efficient use of IT in local government and the public sector.

The website’s Leisure pages also won an award, and its Parking pages came a close second.

The new website was launched last autumn, designed to make life easier for residents who increasingly want to engage with the council online, whether through their PC, smartphone or tablet.

Customers now find it much simpler to renew a library book, check their bin collection days, book a squash court, report a problem, ask about school places, or make a claim for council tax support.

Councillor Sandra Walmsley, cabinet member for strategic housing and support services, said: “I’m delighted that our new website has been so highly praised by experts in the field, and that we’ve been awarded the highest rating of 4 stars.

“These days, so many people carry out their daily transactions online, and want websites to be quick and easy to navigate. Since the redesign, we’ve received a lot of compliments from customers who appreciate the change.”

The site is receiving nearly half a million page views per month, just over half them accessed via a mobile device. Apart from the home page, the most visited subjects are:

• Libraries and archives
• Bin collections – days and dates
• Bid for a property/apply for housing
• Planning applications
• Household waste recycling centres – tips
• Council Tax (and how to Make a Payment)

Cllr Walmsley added: “Our web project team put a great deal of time and energy into making our website far better for Bury residents, and I thank and congratulate them for all their hard work.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 10 June 2016.

Picture: At the awards ceremony are (from left) Stephen Denton, Bury Council’s head of ICT; Cllr Trevor Holt, digital inclusion lead; Claire Jenkins, head of customer support and collections; and Ather Abbas, director of Boilerhouse Ltd.