Council launches new website
Published on 15 February 2021
Kempsey Shire Council has launched the first phase of a new website, making it easier for residents to keep up to date with Council news and find information.
The new website has a modern design, improved functionality and is built on the Open Cities platform which is used by many Councils around the country.
Council’s Manager Community Partnerships, Lyndal Harper, said the new website has been a priority project for Council over the last 18 months.
“People visit websites to find information or complete a task. They want pages that are easy to navigate and content that is easy to read, understand and act on.
“We’re committed to making Council’s services and information more accessible for the community, whenever and wherever they area.”
The website is being launched in a phased approach. This means some content and services will remain in the old format for the time being, however, the homepage and a large portion of the site will have a new look and feel.
“It’s a huge task to review and reorder all the information on a Council website as well as improving the technical parts of how the site works. We’ve turned on the first stage, which includes the new homepage and we’ll continue to move information over into the new system,” said Ms Harper.
“We’re working towards other technical advancements with embedded maps, more intuitive forms linked directly to workflows and online payment portals.”
Key highlights of the new website include:
- A greatly improved mobile and tablet experience
- Plain English explanations for pages
- Improved search functionality
- Easier to find information under a new page structure
- A clear and clean format
- Access council’s most popular services from the homepage
- News alerts to inform the community
Residents can provide their feedback on the new website via an online form at the bottom of each new page.