Difficult navigation and out of date (St Albans District Council)

Member Name: Pinotage

Product:	St Albans District Council
Date:	14/04/01 (100 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of information hidden away

Disadvantages: Much of it out of date

St Albans Council web-site won an award in 1996. It wouldn't now.

It contains a lot of information but is difficult to navigate through and find what you're looking for. Much too much on the site is out of date. A reference to something announced for this week turns out to date from April 1999. There is a button linking to millennium events that solicits for suggestions. Listings promote events in 1999 and 2000. Others talk about happenings due to take place in July without mentioning which year.

There is no consistent look and feel. Almost every click brings you so a different layout with changed backgrounds and different navigation methods. And tacky clip-art moving GIFs abound. The home page has a menu bar on the left and pictures of St Albans on the right above disfiguring and irritating moving words and logos. The left menu cannot be scrolled down all the way, it needs a button clicked to show the lower part. It's just a symptom of the user-unfriendly navigation that is to follow

The site looks like a hobby site by someone who just doesn't have the time for it any more. I run hobby sites myself and know just how much effort is needed to keep a site up to date, and if the site was done by a council officer in their spare time I'd applaud them for cost saving. But this is site has the logo and link of a professional web design company on almost every page. I don't know how much the council are paying, but I reckon they're being short-changed.

There are some good things on the site. A map of the area lets you click on where you live and brings up a list of your councillors, with their photos and email addresses. There's fairly comprehensive lists of businesses, shops, pubs, restaurants, dentists, doctors and other services. One nice touch is a page linking to local residents home pages.

Because there is so much out of date information it is unwise to trust anything on the site which d
oesn't have a full date shown. However the site is being updated, or at least new items are being added. There is a useful 'whats new' link listing updates.

In summary the site needs a radical overhaul. There should be one consistent look with a standard navigation system. Outdated information should be pruned and every single page should have a publication and 'last updated' date on it.


Behind the Web-site - People Doing Their Best
=============================================

Dustbins and dog-wardens, parking and policing, libraries and licensing, these are just some of the mundane aspects of life controlled by the local council. The council only impinges on my consciousness when rates bill arrive and during local elections. The rest of the time this arm of government carries on it's every day tasks without a thought from me. My rubbish is collected weekly without any problems, the streets are cleaned and life is good.

Then a builder applied for planning permission to cram in a new housing complex in the back gardens of neighbouring houses. A local action group was formed, protest letters were sent and one evening I found myself at a local council meeting where they were to discuss the planning application.

It was the first time I had entered the impressive new council building in the centre of St Albans. The council chamber is modern, with councillors sitting around a large desk in the middle. Several applications were being considered.

I was most impressed with the way business was conducted. It was not at all like the rowdiness of the Commons. Councillors of all political persuasions listened intently, asked pertinent questions and displayed a deep knowledge and love of St Albans. They genuinely seemed to consider the applications in light of the best interests of St Albans and its inhabitants.

One application was from a man wanting to open a tattoo and piercing par
lour. The councillors seemed very much against the application. They didn't consider it appropriate, were concerned that children would be tattooed and feared for the safety of the processes. The applicant was invited to speak. He was nervous, but described the popularity of tattooing and piercing, discussed safety issues, the measures he took and his experience and expertise. The councillors asked him further questions and he satisfied all their points. The application was granted.

And so it went on. The councillors - most of who had come straight from work, took their responsibilities very seriously. They listened to each other, took advice from council officers and made their decisions.

I went home with an insight into local democracy and new confidence in the council. I don?t always agree with their decisions, but now I know they are not made without a lot of thought and discussion.

Councillors don't tend to deal with glamorous issues. People contact them when they want something done and pleasing one group means upsetting others. It's a pretty thankless task and not one I'd want to do.

Unfortunately we did not look at local government when I was at school and it still seems to be ignored by the education system. How ever good or poor a councillor is, their seat depends more on the public's opinion of national party politics than their own personal qualities. So they work away, giving up their evenings and spare time managing local resources for an indifferent and unappreciative public. Why not spend a couple of hours in the public seats of your council chamber watching your councillors at work you may be pleasantly surprised. And if not, you'll know who to vote off.


If you have been, thanks for reading.

This opinion dated April 2001

Summary: