.Gov.uk domain

Question

Hi all, a quick question: there is a lot of talk about needing a .Gov.uk domain for the Parish Council. This, by all accounts, is going to cost hundreds of pounds. Has anyone experienced this, and what do they advise.

Answer 1

It's not yet a requirement and, as you have stated, many councils (including all three of mine) have been put off by the cost. I gather it's not as expensive as it was a couple of years ago, but I haven't checked recently.  I'm sure other contributors will have accurate costings.

Answer 2

There is some help in setting up a domain name and website costs which can be found here...

https://www.nalc.gov.uk/resource/funding-update-on-moving-over-to-a-gov-uk-domain-through-the-parish-council-domains-helper-service.html

There is also a government guide on how to apply and manage a gov uk domain name which you can search for.

The cost of the registration itself has dropped considerably. Approved registrars are charges £10+VAT themselves - so expect to pay £15+VAT or more pa for regurgitation.

Many companies will offer a bundle of web hosting / emails for all councillors and the number of pages your website will need. The more time you spend on your required content before you apply will pay dividends when it come to building the website. Many websites are very formulaic template styles so some research is required. 

The ease of use of the content management of the website is also important so ensure you get some training or clear instructions on how to upload documents etc etc.

HTH

Comments

Hi All thanks for the replies.

I am still confused, do we have to move to a .gov domain and if so is there a cut off date.

It is  causing lots of questions bearing in mind we are only a small village I am struggling to justify it.

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The need for a website really comes from the government transparency code, and it's the modern way now!
As to moving to a .gov domain - the cost of doing so is not much different to buying a .co.uk domain now. The larger cost will be the the developer fees. We have a local man who does ours, and a couple of our councillors and the clerk have access to the website and help maintain it.
If there is no one local who will do a website, then there are a number of specialist developers who will create one and maintain it. Some are better that others though, and are often template driven which limits what can be done with the website.
Once you decide to go ahead, then work out exactly what content you need before approaching a develop as they will want to know.

It is highly recommended that you use a .gov domain.
A couple of web links.
https://www.slcc.co.uk/changes-to-website-accessibility-compliance/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transparency-code-for-smaller-authorities/transparency-code-for-smaller-authorities

HTH

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Thank you, we have a turnover of less than 25k are we exempt from this then.