The Watford Council's site offers an impressive array of services - from paying monthly bills online to giving you the opening times of Watford recreation facilities.
The site is well managed, easy to navigate, relatively well-designed and user-friendly, but above all: useful.
When you access the site, several attractive banners are scattered around the home page. They range from those taking you to pages containing interesting trivia - such as one about Watford's town twinning partners around the world to those with information on local elections.
The most useful information is probably accessible via the banners on the right side of the page. One banner allows you to pay your monthly council bills online, and another gives detailed information on planning applications and decisions.
On the left side of the page is a navigation bar with links to pages with local facts you may need.
The "Information" link contains an alphabetical index of council services and issues. Everything from "abandoned vehicles" and "asbestos" to "youth activities" is there.
Another important link is "Leisure", giving you everything from the opening times of Watford Central Baths, the Bill Everett Community Centre and the Watford Leisure Centre to a calendar of local events organised by the council. "Councillors" gives you the names and faces as well as the e-mail addresses of your ward councillors. There is a map to find out in which ward you live, should you not know this.
"Your ideas" allows you to give input into local affairs. The site promises a detailed reply by an appropriate official.
You will probably be disappointed if you try the search engine, though. Most of the time it is unable to find keywords, although the information you are looking for is available on the site. Another drawback is the tiny font used throughout the site, which makes reading an unnecessary strain. The site is best viewed in Microsoft Internet Explorer - it is less attractive and slower in Netscape Navigator.
Apart from a few minor glitches, the Watford Council site is excellent. I recommend you visit it at http://www.watford.gov.uk.
June 19, 2002 12:00
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