VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Citizen 4.0 - The future of local public services
27/07/2022 Matt Culpin explains how local authorities can use big data to predict demand for public services. |
How councils can reduce their digital carbon footprint
18/07/2022 Simon Wissink outlines how local authorities can align their digital sustainability credentials with existing physical sustainability philosophy. |
Improving digital accessibility
13/06/2022 Mark McCallum warns hundreds of documents on council websites still do not meet the UK regulations and globally-recognised accessibility standards. |
Devon councils launch Ukrainian refugee website
01/04/2022 Local authorities in Devon have launched a new website to help residents who wish to support Ukrainian refugees. |
Council given power to remove dangerous goods from eBay
11/05/2021 Local authorities will be able to report and remove illegal or unsafe items from eBay under a new pilot scheme. |
Embedding readability into New Forest District Council’s website DNA
06/01/2021 Matt Louis explains why it's worth going the extra mile to embed readability into your website’s DNA. |
Charity warns many council websites are still inaccessible
23/09/2020 Inaccessible council websites are preventing millions of disabled people from accessing vital services and information, a charity has warned. |
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The accessibility challenge
17/02/2020 How Bracknell Forest Council's ‘digital-first' approach propels them to high web accessibility ranking. |
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The growing impact of civic tech
15/01/2019 Mark Cridge explains how civic tech can give councils better outcomes and enhance civic participation for millions of people. |
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Wolverhampton launches ‘retail revival’ partnership with eBay
24/09/2018 The City of Wolverhampton has launched a 12-month partnership with eBay to help small retailers start up or expand their online presence. |
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Councillor designs ‘virtual’ Facebook councillor
05/09/2018 The Redditch councillor who set up David Cameron’s official Facebook page has designed his own chatbot service to help local people communicate with the council. |
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Welsh local councils accused of operating in 'secretive ways'
30/08/2018 Local councils in Wales have been accused of being 'secretive' and anti-democratic after research revealed not all provide electronic access to minutes and meetings. |
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Charity warns councils are depriving four million older people of benefits
23/05/2018 Nearly four million older people are being denied access to key benefits because they do not use computers, according to campaigners. |
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Council websites making ‘progress’ in presentation about childcare on mobiles
18/05/2018 Local authority websites have shown ‘progress’ in the presentation of information and services on mobile devices about children's services, ICT body reveals. |
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Some councils 'hiding' cost of waste collection on their websites
20/03/2018 Although three-quarters of councils now charge for garden waste collections, less than half of council websites provide a good or very good service for this task, a new survey has revealed. |
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Bucking the trend
14/03/2018 Nichola Glover-Edge explains why Cheshire East Council is being held up as best practice for providing social care information online. |
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A benchmark for website accessibility
20/02/2018 Bryn Anderson explains why all council websites and apps must meet minimum accessibility standards from this September. |
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Councils face 19 million cyber-attacks a year
20/02/2018 Councils have been subject to over 98 million cyber-attacks in the past five years, a new investigation has revealed today. |
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Two council websites hacked by crypto-coin miners
12/02/2018 Manchester City, Camden and Croydon council websites were among 5,000 sites ‘maliciously’ hacked over the weekend. |
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Online council information for drivers with disabilities ‘poor’, Socitm finds
02/02/2018 Council parking services do a ‘poor job’ when it comes to the provision of online information for drivers with disabilities, ICT body warns. |
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Council websites ‘falling short’ on provision of care information
19/01/2018 Council social care teams are ‘falling short’ in their duties to provide online information, advice and guidance to the public, ICT body warns. |
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Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2017
13/12/2017 From council pay to the Housing White Paper, here is a run-down of the 100 most popular stories on LocalGov during 2017. |
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Revamped council websites fail usability test
11/07/2017 Fewer than half of revamped council websites pass usability test, digital experts find. |
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Nine top tips for a successful local government website design
14/06/2017 Craig Johnson presents his nine top tips to help councils deliver a succesful website design. |
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Digital experts name top UK council websites
06/06/2017 Thirty six local authorities have been identified as having the UK’s top council websites after performance surveys carried out from a customer perspective. |
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Nearly 90% of council websites work on mobiles, survey finds
26/05/2017 Almost nine in 10 local authorities now have websites that work on mobile phones, according to the latest figures. |
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Disability access to council websites ‘ongoing challenge’
17/05/2017 The websites of nearly a third of councils failed an accessibility test for people with disabilities proving digital access is still ‘an ongoing challenge’. |
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Councils make ‘encouraging’ progress on digital access to care information
17/05/2017 Councils have made ‘encouraging’ progress when it comes to the provision of information and advice about local care services on their websites, survey finds. |
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Harrogate tops index for best council website
10/03/2017 Harrogate Borough Council’s website has been named as the best local authority website in the UK. |
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Hackers take over Aberdeen City Council’s website
30/01/2017 Aberdeen City Council’s website was hacked by ‘Team System Dz’ for nearly three hours on Saturday evening. |
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Hackers: Fake or real?
02/08/2016 Could you spot a fake hacker? Adrian Crawley explains why it’s time that those in local councils did. |
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Council launches 24-hour chat service
19/07/2016 Calderdale Council has become the first local authority to provide a 24-hour instant messaging services for customers. |
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Council websites 'failing to meet plain English guidelines'
27/04/2016 Two-thirds of local government websites are failing to meet plain English guidelines, according to new analysis. |
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Council hires ‘ethical hackers’ to test computer network security
12/04/2016 Leicester city council have hired ‘ethical hackers’ to help them improve their cyber security. |
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Making councils fit for the 21st century
23/03/2016 Lee Kemp calls on local government to move away from traditional ways of thinking to allow disruptive ideas to flourish. |
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Transgender couple wins damages after council publishes libellous material
10/02/2016 A transgender couple who were subjected to a campaign of harassment have won damages from the council after defamatory comments were published on its website, The Telegraph reports. |
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County refuses to pay cyber ransom demand
01/02/2016 Lincolnshire County Council has restored IT systems following a cyber-attack last week. |
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Council websites make it easy for you to find your local tips, survey learns
29/01/2016 More than three quarters of county councils provide a good or very good service for people seeking information about their local tip, even when they are doing so from their mobile phone, Socitm has found. |
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Website launched to protect children from ‘twisted ideologies’
19/01/2016 A new website is being launched by the Government to help parents protect children from ‘radical views’. |
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West Midland’s council victim of ‘bizarre hack’
14/01/2016 Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council’s website has been temporarily brought down by hackers, according to the Stratford-upon-Avon Herald. |
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Is your council website up to scratch?
07/01/2016 Chris Bush argues some councils could be missing a trick with their website’s user experience. |
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Half of the UK’s counties enable older persons' bus pass applications online, survey finds
06/01/2016 Half of the UK’s counties now enable older persons' bus pass applications online, according to a survey carried out by Better Connected. |
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Digital content from councils not ‘up to scratch’ claims survey
08/12/2015 People are failing to recommend or share information from their local authority online, a new survey has revealed. |
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70% of councils provide good parking service online
27/11/2015 70% of councils provide a good or very good parking service online, according to a new Socitm survey. |
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Poowatch app to clean up Worcester’s streets
05/11/2015 A new app, designed to tackle the scourge of dog litter, will be launched this week in Worcester. |
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Person Centred Planning
28/10/2015 Craig Wilkie explains how Nottinghamshire County Council has scaled up EHCP with Centres of Excellence |
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New resource launched to tackle poor housing conditions
21/10/2015 A new online resource to show local authorities the impact housing conditions can have on physical and mental health has been launched today. |
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Performance of councils' websites is falling, research suggests
20/10/2015 Local authority websites are struggling to keep pace with changes in technology and customer expectations, according to the latest survey by Socitm. |
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Playing an Anonymous game
20/07/2015 With several councils recently having their networks and websites hacked, Adrian Crawley sets out his five steps for managing cyber attacks. |
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Thousands of emails stolen from council website in cyber attack
08/07/2015 Over 13,000 email addresses have been stolen from Edinburgh City Council’s website following a ‘malicious’ cyber attack. |
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Google steps in to offer high streets help
02/07/2015 Internet giants Google are offering British high street shops the chance to revolutionise their digital strategies. |
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Eye tracking technology helps council redesign website
12/06/2015 A council has used eye tracking technology to help redesign its website. |
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Pickles exposed as Formula 1 racing legend?
23/04/2015 Eric Pickles’ past as a successful international motor racing champion has been revealed on Wikipedia, or has it? |
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LGA joins website to help councils recruit young people
14/04/2015 The Local Government Association (LGA) has signed up to Plotr to encourage young people to consider a career in local government. |
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Personalised self-service
26/03/2015 Brett Husbands looks at how single customer accounts drive improved customer experience and fully realise the benefits of channel shift |
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County councils fear broadband target will be missed
25/03/2015 Nearly half of county councils (45%) are concerned the Government's target for rolling out superfast broadband will not be met, a new survey reveals. |
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Security warning as 55% of councils use unsupported software
13/03/2015 More than half of councils in England are still using unsupported versions of Java, leading to concerns of a future ‘security disaster’, according to new research. |
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Councils 'failing' to provide information to help blind and partially sighted children
27/01/2015 Almost half of English local authorities are failing to provide adequate information about services for blind and partially sighted children and young people, according to the charity Blind Children UK. |
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Why slow applications are costing councils millions
19/01/2015 Zubair Aleem investigates the impact slow applications are having on local government productivity |
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New social media network goes live
15/01/2015 Local authorities are being urged to join a new social media network, in a bid to be more transparent. |
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LEP goes live with Dot London
07/11/2014 The London Enterprise Panel (LEP) has become the first mayoral body to adopt a Dot London web domain. |
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Majority of council websites fail government standard
31/10/2014 A majority of council websites are failing the Government's good performance standards, as speeds worsen on last year - research suggests. |
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Surrey wins best council website award
28/10/2014 Surrey County Council has won website of the year in the 2014 Socitm Awards. |
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Aberdeen aims for ‘gigabit city’ status
04/09/2014 Aberdeen is set to become Scotland’s first ‘gigabit city’ with modern digital infrastructure bringing high speed broadband to public sector organisations and businesses. |
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Central Bedfordshire awards cost-cutting IT contract
01/09/2014 Central Bedfordshire Council has awarded a nine-year contract to manage its IT network. |
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Council hails success of pavement stencil to reduce city begging
22/08/2014 A new pavement stencil campaign has reduced the number of beggars in Exeter city centre while encouraging charitable giving. |
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Council app to guide carnival-goers
22/08/2014 A free app commissioned by Kensington and Chelsea RBLC is being touted as ?the must-have guide? to this weekend?s Notting Hill Carnival. |
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Online map will challenge government on inefficient property
21/08/2014 An online tool to help communities decide if government property and land is being used effectively has gone live. |
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Salford to live stream council meetings
19/08/2014 Salford City Council is to live stream and record public meetings following a new law to improve transparency in local government. |
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Councillor disciplined for using council laptop to view pornography
08/08/2014 A councillor has been disciplined after using his council laptop to view pornography, despite receiving a previous warning for the same offence. |
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Thinking strategically about infrastructure costs
17/06/2014 How to minimise the costs associated with necessary local government IT. |
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Single local government website ‘ill-conceived’
17/06/2014 A single website for all of local government is an ‘ill-conceived’ idea and should not be attempted, according to an association for IT professionals. |
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Helping local governments to achieve digital success
13/06/2014 What hurdles do local authorities face when implementing a digital strategy? |
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Housing associations failing to understand existing technology, finds survey
12/06/2014 Less than 20% of housing associations across the UK have a full understanding of their existing technology according to a new survey. |
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Technology gap losing billions in potential savings, study claims
12/06/2014 Councils and public sector bodies could be missing out on £7.2bn savings thanks to inefficiencies and a ‘technology gap’, figures suggest. |
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Report: ICT function should be transformed
27/05/2014 The information and communications technology (ICT) function should be transformed into a business information service, a new report has said. |
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Invest in digital skills to combat loneliness, think tank says
27/05/2014 Investing £875m to teach millions of older people to use the Internet and email would deliver substantial economic and social benefits, a think tank has claimed. |
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Twitter gaffe sees exec board branded ‘pathetic’ by own council
14/05/2014 A council has described its own executive board as ‘pathetic’ in a twitter blunder blamed on multi-tasking difficulties faced by male members of staff. |
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DCLG minister applauds new community advice hub
30/04/2014 A new website offering local advice on community activities has been championed by a Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) minister. |
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Surrey IT boss takes helm at Socitm
22/04/2014 The trade body for council IT professionals has appointed a new president. |
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Council websites 'falling behind' world's top brands
17/04/2014 Councils need to do more to help website visitors find and navigate around their news sections. |
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Councillors blamed for slow move online
15/04/2014 A lack of support from councillors is hindering local authorities’ moves to deliver services online, a new survey has found. |
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Leeds Council pilots live chat on its website
03/04/2014 Leeds City Council is piloting live chat for those looking for help on its website. |
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Facebook-style app helps older people
25/03/2014 Older people have reported an improved quality of life after they were given a simplified Facebook-style app. |
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Election data availability 'something of a scandal'
07/03/2014 The poor online availability of UK election data is ‘now something of a scandal,’ the director of a think tank has said. |
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Is the public sector Ready for 'Digital by Default'?
06/03/2014 With nearly two-thirds of public decision makers yet to have a digital transformation strategy in place, what does this mean for the digital by default agenda? |
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Councils ‘struggling’ to keep up with rise in mobile access
03/03/2014 Local government websites are ‘struggling’ to adapt to the rapid growth in the use of mobile phones to access services, according to a new survey. |
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Some £875m required to create digitally skilled nation, report says
25/02/2014 Investment of £875m is required to ensure all the UK adult population has basic online skills by 2020, a report has claimed. |
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Transforming service delivery
28/01/2014 How North Kesteven District Council is shifting to online channels to deliver a better service experience for residents. |
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Guarding against data breaches
23/01/2014 How councils can use IT asset disposal to ensure data leaks are relegated to the history books. |
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Councils urged to sign up to digital inclusion campaign
21/01/2014 Local authorities are being urged to take part in a digital inclusion campaign, with research showing around seven million people have never used the internet. |
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Prediction 2014 will be year of ‘virtual authority’
11/12/2013 Next year will be the time of the ‘virtual authority’ with digital tools becoming the primary method of interacting with councils, new research is predicting. |
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Online park map could be ‘remedy’ for budget cuts
19/11/2013 An online map of national urban green spaces could improve the quality of parks and support community involvement, a report has concluded. |
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New 'postcode checker' website for adult social care
11/11/2013 The Government has launched a new website to help people see how adult local care services in their area are performing. |
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Six out of ten council websites fail speed test
18/10/2013 Sheffield City Council’s website has been named the fastest performing local authority site, as 64% of town hall sites fail speed tests. |
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Manchester council's website voted as best in Europe
18/10/2013 Manchester council's website voted as best in Europe Manchester City Council's website has been voted as one of the best in Europe, winning a People's Lovie Award. |
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Councils launch new website to cut cost of bidding on contracts
04/10/2013 Two South East councils have created a new website to make it easier for businesses to bid on council contracts worth over £100,000. |
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Hounslow rated best council website in the country
06/09/2013 The London borough of Hounslow’s website has been ranked as the best in the country, according to a new index of local government websites. |
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Mole Valley DC website hacked by Anonymous
21/08/2013 A cyber attack on Mole Valley DC’s website has replaced pages with references to David Miranda, who was recently detained at Heathrow Airport. |
