Gov.uk Domains

Why use a .gov.uk domain for your town or parish council?

Using a .gov.uk domain name for your town or parish council has a number of benefits both in terms of security and in the professionalism of your site.

A .gov.uk domain name used by your organisation:

• Shows services, emails and websites are from a trusted UK public sector organisation such as a town or parish council.
• Means your website could potentially show up higher in search results.
• Allows staff to join public sector communities which require a .gov.uk email
• Is monitored for potential security vulnerabilities, which will be reported to you by the CDDO Domain Management Team.
• Gives your organisation the ability to better control email accounts by removing staff when they leave.
• Gives your domain better legal protection because it’s based in a UK jurisdiction.
• Means outgoing emails are more likely to be cleared by security filters and delivered to recipients.
• Increases transparency of smaller organisations when public servants use corporate email accounts instead of personal email accounts for official government business.
• Helps smaller organisations fulfil best practice guidelines as outlined in the Joint Panel on Accountability and Governance Practitioners’ Guide 2021

WJP Software Limited is a JISC Approved Registrar. This allows us to register new .gov.uk domain names or to accept transferred names. We manage the billing process to ensure that renewals are paid when due.

Choose a new .gov.uk domain name

Registering a .gov.uk domain name is not quite as simple as registering a .com or .co.uk domain name. The process is manual and administered by us on your behalf.

Read the .gov.uk naming guidelines and make sure that your chosen name complies with all requirements

Find a Domain!

Enter your council's name in the box below and find out if your new .gov.uk domain is available to purchase!

Transfer your existing domain name

For councils who have registered a .gov.uk domain name with a provider that they no longer wish to use, the domain name can be transferred so that it is managed by ActiveCouncil. We take care of the necessary technical configuration. Please email us at support@activecouncil.co.uk

* If a domain name is transferred from another provider, registation is required again.