Who and what our website is for

Who and what our website is for

All content and products that are owned by Cumberland Council must go on GOV.UK and meet a proven user need.

Your content must help users do one of the following:

• use a council service
• understand policy for a specific sector
• find out about a government policy
• understand the government’s response to a major event
• follow the law
• apply for a government support scheme
• find out what business opportunities are available
• understand the government’s priorities through a campaign

Using our services

A council service must be something that can only be done with us, for example:

• pay your Council Tax
• register a birth

A service can also help the user find out something specific to their situation without submitting their details to us. This is called a non-transactional service. For example, you can check:

• who should have a citizenship ceremony and what it involves
• what you need to do to make sure your private water supply is safe to drink

Understand policy for a specific sector

Guidance for a specialist audience must explain government policy and what the user needs to do to comply. This could be about:

• how to comply with food hygiene advice
• licensing needed for running a business

Find out about a council policy

Council  policies must be accessible to the public. Your content must give users the information they need about a policy in a transparent, accessible and understandable way.
This could be about:

• council spending
• How services work
• what a service is working on
• how a policy is implemented
• how users respond to a policy (through consultations)

Understand our response to major events

Your content allows users to find out what we are doing about major events that impact the public or have significant public interest.

This could be what actions we are taking in regards to:

• the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
• the UK leaving the EU (Brexit)

Follow the law

Your content helps businesses and members of the public to follow the law, for example by:

• helping them understand which licences or permits they need to operate their business
• getting guidance on how to pay business rates

Apply for a council support scheme

Your content helps users get sector-specific government support - for example:

• help with the costs of starting a business
• support for students in higher education who are on a low income
• help with the costs of buying a home

What does not go on our website

Your content or service must not go on our website if it:

• is from an organisation that is not part of the council
• advertises or gives commercial advantage to an organisation
• gives advice that a non-governmental organisation is better placed to do 
• is party political content
• is for internal work management or better placed on the intranet
• duplicates other content or services on the council’s website

Content and services from an organisation that is not part of the council

Content and services that are not part of local government and must not go on on our website include:

• the National Health Service (NHS)
• the emergency services
• the judiciary
• the armed forces
• academic institutions with ac.uk domains
• organisations and companies, like mutuals, that are not publicly owned
• sites and services from non-government third parties, for example support forums

Advertises or gives commercial advantage to an organisation

Our website should not contain advertising or services which promote a company or organisation in any way.

Gives advice that a non-governmental organisation is better placed to do

The website should tell users what they need to know in order to complete a task or follow the law. It does not offer advice on what the user should do. The exception to this is if users need advice in order to complete their task. This could be, for example, advice about organising an event in Cumberland.

Where a non-governmental organisation is better placed to meet the user need you should link to the external website instead of putting the content on the website.

Party political content

Content on the website must not promote the interests, activities or views of a political party.

Internal work management

If your content is only for civil or crown servants to manage their work then it must not go on the website. You should consider using the intranet.

Content duplicates other content or services

Your content or service cannot go on the website if there is already content or a service on the website that meets the same user needs. If you have evidence that the published content is not meeting these needs you can raise a request with the digital team to improve the content.