Council website wins extra star billing!
Published Friday 18th March 11 in Council - news and information releases news
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s website has been awarded three out of four stars by a prestigious national information technology organisation.
The Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm) is the membership association for ICT professionals working in and for the public sector in the UK .
Every year it produces a 'Better Connected' report which assesses the effectiveness and user-friendliness of council websites.
This year the Council has jumped from two stars to three stars, making it one of only 21 unitary authorities in England to be rated three stars or above.
In compiling its report Socitm looked at how local authorities use their websites to deliver customer services.
The Council's website offers customers the opportunity to do a wide range of activities online, including paying Council tax, business rates and car parking fines, applying for planning permission and applying for copies of birth, death and marriage certificates.
Head of Customer Services, Nick Corrigan, said: "This is a terrific achievement.
"We have worked very hard to ensure our website is as helpful as possible to our residents and visitors, so it is very encouraging that our efforts have been recognised by this highly respected national organisation.
"However, we will not be resting on our laurels and will continue to strive to keep improving our website.
"More and more people are choosing to use our online services which are simple, quick, convenient and available 24 hours a day. To find out more about this, why not visit www.southend.gov.uk/doitonline ."