Vital early intervention work in Dumfries and Galloway is giving hundreds of kids a better chance in life – and saving authorities nearly £17m per year.
23.01.2023 - 13:05 / dailyrecord.co.uk
Dumfries and Galloway Council’s website is desperately in need of a digital overhaul.
Local authority chiefs have taken on board feedback from members of the public who complain that the website is filled with too much “council speak”, is hard to navigate and “lacks personality”.
There have also been complaints that the site, www.dumgal.gov.uk, does not clearly state what the organisation can and cannot do – and that information is often out of date.
Given that the council’s public website – and intranet/subsites combined – are visited by hundreds of thousands of users per year, plans are under way for a revamp.
An update report on the authority’s digital strategy for 2021-2026 has been produced for the economy and resources committee next Tuesday.
It states: “Our public website is the go-to place to find out more about council services. Most users visited using a mobile phone.
“However, while our digital channels have become the place to find information and services, it is rarely a quick, accessible, and enjoyable experience.
“Our users and stakeholders have shared their frustration with our current digital offering and particularly our public website and intranet.”
The report listed the following most common complaints about the council’s website:
• It is difficult to find and access online information and services;
• It is difficult to connect with the right person/service for help;
• Does not clearly say what the council can and can’t do;
• Messages are not person-focussed, approachable and friendly;
• Websites lack personality and do not reflect what the council represents;
• Information is often out of date, so customers ring the customer contact centre instead;
• Information is often not written in plain
Vital early intervention work in Dumfries and Galloway is giving hundreds of kids a better chance in life – and saving authorities nearly £17m per year.
A social landlord with more than 2,500 homes across Dumfries and Galloway is set to increase rents by up to seven per cent.
A Dumfries and Galloway College student is hoping her success as an electrical engineering apprentice can spark other females to take the same path.
Work is now underway to develop six new council amenity bungalows in Stevenston.
EXCLUSIVE: Succession‘s Matthew Macfadyen is the newest addition to the cast of the Hitchcockian thriller Holland, Michigan. The Prime Video film from director Mimi Cave (Fresh) will see him star opposite Nicole Kidman and Gael García Bernal.
The level of homelessness in Dumfries and Galloway is higher than it was before the pandemic.
Councillors have demanded an urgent upgrade of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s outdated website so that it is more accessible to the public.
The foster carer crisis is continuing in Dumfries and Galloway – despite desperate attempts to improve the situation.
The cost of living crisis is having an impact on optimism and confidence amongst businesses across Dumfries and Galloway.
Public concern over a proposed 75-turbine windfarm’s effect on Moffat’s Golden Eagle numbers and dark sky status have forced a 20 per cent scaling back of the project.
A review of community hospitals across the region is under way.
Council officials are confident that a £16.3million affordable housing development in Kirkcudbright won’t overwhelm the town’s infrastructure.
Education chiefs have revealed ambitious plans to transform the schools estate in Dumfries and Galloway.
Emergency funding that helps struggling Dumfries and Galloway residents survive the cost of living crisis will likely be cut in half next year.
The council has swooped on hundreds of seagull nests in a bid to curb the chaos caused by the birds across Dumfries and Galloway this year.
Dumfries and Galloway’s care at home sector lost around 250 staff in just 12 months.
Holidaymakers could soon be given the chance to stay on an island where a murder took place.
More than 100 people attended a rally at the council headquarters as teachers went on strike in Dumfries and Galloway yesterday.
Plans for dramatic changes to one of Scotland’s first onshore windfarms have been lodged with the Scottish Government.