Interacting with Shrewsbury Town Council will soon be quicker and easier after councillors approved plans for a new website.
At a meeting of the Finance & General Purposes committee on Monday [4 AUG] members appointed Shrewsbury based company, The Web Orchard, to re-design the existing site following a robust selection process.
The brief was to make the existing website simpler to use, and more responsive, ensuring that visitors will be able to find what they are looking for within a few clicks. The new site will be built using responsive technology to recognise which type of device people are using and adjust accordingly.
The design of the previous website, which is five years old, was found to be outdated and difficult to navigate, particularly on mobile and tablet devices.
The new design will remove some large blocks of text and replace these with clear icons guiding users to the pages they need. Work on the new website, which will sit on the existing platform at www.shrewsburytowncouncil.gov.uk, is already underway, with a prototype due to be presented to councillors in October.
Councillor Alan Mosley said: “Soon after taking over the leadership of the Council we recognised that our website was outdated and, as part of our revised Communications Strategy, we resolved to change it to something more fit for purpose. We want a website that will allow the Council to get closer to its residents, one that is more open and accessible and user friendly for all types of devices.
“The re-designed site will be attractive and informative, while giving opportunities for feedback and consultation with residents. We want the new website to link with all our partners as we work together at putting Shrewsbury first.”
Pete White, director at The Web Orchard added: “”We’re delighted to be selected to re-build the Shrewsbury Town Council website and are already busy working on the project. There are some interesting challenges that we are looking forward to tackling.”