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As the festive season approaches, Active Council and WJP Software Limited would like to thank our clients for their continued support throughout the year. To ensure our team can enjoy some well-deserved time with their loved ones, we are announcing our Christmas shutdown schedule.
Shutdown begins: 12:00 PM on Tuesday, 24th December 2024
Normal operations resume: Thursday, 2nd January 2025
During this period, we will operate with skeleton staff on the following dates:
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Customers often ask, “If the domain only costs £10, why is there an extra charge?” The reality is that securing a .gov.uk domain for council use involves a lot more than the advertised base cost. Here’s a breakdown of what’s involved:
Application and Documentation
When we receive your request, we start by completing an official registration form. This includes details about the council, the clerk, the domain’s intended use, and funding sources, all of ...
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A .gov.uk domain for council business is a sign of professionalism, security, and trust. While not mandatory, it reflects best practices recommended in Section 5.213 of the 2024 Practitioners' Guide. Councils with .gov.uk domains benefit from:
Enhanced Cybersecurity: Regular monitoring by the Cabinet Office to detect vulnerabilities.
Trustworthy Communication: Emails from a .gov.uk domain are recognised as legitimate, reinforcing trust.
Separation of Communication: Personal and cou...
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For councils aiming to boost their online presence and better serve their communities, Active Council’s platform is delivering impressive results. Recent data shows that customer websites using our system have seen remarkable traffic increases from 2022 to 2024—some as high as 80%—thanks to our platform’s simplicity and ease of use.
Why more Visitors are Engaging with Active Council Websites
The success behind these numbers lies in our focus on usability. Active Cou...
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Active Council has been trusted by over 30 Parish and Town Councils, thanks to its dedicated support and innovative solutions. In the short span since we took over Active Council in January 2024, we've welcomed an additional 10 councils into our community, with more in the pipeline. Our growth is driven by the high demand for our services, and through our involvement in the Parish Domain Helpers programme.
As part of this program, Active Council assists councils with their .gov.uk dom...
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Active Council is excited to announce the release of a new series of how-to videos designed to help users navigate and utilise the key features of our Web Communication System (WCS). This video series aims to provide step-by-step guidance on essential tasks, making it easier for council clerks to manage their websites effectively.
Featured Videos:
Basic Page Editing Learn the fundamentals of editing pages within the WCS, including how to add, modify, and format content to ensure you...
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Many Town and Parish Councils are considering adopting a .gov.uk domain for their email and website. The 2024 edition of the Practitioners’ Guide emphasises that community members, suppliers, and partners now expect local councils to have a .gov.uk domain. While it’s not a legal requirement, having a .gov.uk domain demonstrates good practice, trust, and professionalism.
Benefits of a .gov.uk Domain:
Security Measures: Local councils with a .gov.uk domain benefit from rob...
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Active Council has been making waves since its relaunch in January. Our mission was to empower local councils with cutting-edge digital solutions that enhance communication, accessibility, and efficiency.
Domain Registrar Shortlist for Parish Councils
Active Council has secured a coveted spot on the Domain Registrar Shortlist for Parish Councils. This prestigious position allows us to offer .gov.uk domain names for council websites and email services. Imagine your local council proudly spo...
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We often receive enquiries about the differences between Office 365 email and standard email services, beyond just the price. Let’s break it down:
1. Office 365 (Plan 1) Email:
Subscription Service:
Office 365 (Plan 1) is a subscription-based service that offers a comprehensive suite of productivity tools, cloud storage, and advanced security features.
It includes a professional email address associated with your domain (e.g., yourname@yourcompany.com).
Storage Ca...
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We often get asked “Is Active Council an approved registrar”. Well yes we are. Some customers will know us by our parent company “WJP Software Limited”, but we are registered as “Active Council”.
The Parish Council Domain Helper Service is currently hosting a range of seminar to explain the importance of a .gov.uk domain name for a Parish or Town Council. There are currently over 10,000 councils in the UK, but only 1,800 of those are currently using .gov.uk...
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Are you interested in finding out how to make your website accessible in simple easy to implement stages. Our guide covers SCULPT, Structure, Contrast, Images, Links, Plain English and Downloads. These simple ideas can be added into your existing parish council website, or an Active Council website. Sign up now to get find out how you can use SCULPT. You will be sent an email with all the details.
As a passionate advocate for local governance, I've witnessed first hand the impact that parish councils can have on their communities. These grass roots bodies play a vital role in decision-making, community engagement, and ensuring that the needs of residents are met.
However, there's a challenge: lack of transparency. Many parish councils still operate without dedicated websites, leaving residents in the dark about crucial information. Imagine a world where meeting minutes, agen...
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In the digital age, ensuring that a Parish Council's website meets the highest standards of compliance and accessibility is not just a matter of convenience—it's a necessity. Active Council can become the linchpin for a council's digital strategy, enabling it to achieve its aims of accessibility, compliance, usability, and engagement.
The Challenge
Councils often have outdated, difficult to navigate, and not compliant with current standards, such as the Equality Act 2010,...
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Passwords are the base level of protection for your accounts and devices from cyber attacks such as hacking, phishing, and identity theft, keeping your information safe. With a strong password, you can protect your accounts from unauthorised access and prevent sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands.
Without a strong password, anyone can gain access to your online accounts and personal information, including your banking and credit card details, photos a...
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In a dynamic leap towards more effective local governance, our Web Communication System (WCS) has recently undergone a transformative update that promises to redefine the way local councils engage with their communities. This groundbreaking enhancement is poised to revolutionise the role of council websites from mere repositories of minutes and agendas to vibrant hubs of vital information, starting with a seamless display of planning applications—an indispensable component ...
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At WJP Software Limited we have been busy purchasing a brand we work with alot, called ActiveCouncil. Active Council was originally a service operated by Objenix Ltd, and provided us with .gov.uk domain names for many of our websites. Along with the Active Council brand, we have taken on their existing council clients are are also now able to managed JISC domain registration of .gov.uk domains. Also we are becoming part of the BETA program (more news on this to come soon).
Usi...
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Towards the latter half of 2021, we ran a Web Consultation for Aiskew & Leeming Bar PC. This included a full site overhaul, undertaking tasks such as streamlining their site with the goal of making monthly updates as easy as possible, maximising usability, running full accessibility checks and bringing the site up to WCAG 2.1 AA standard, and optimising their sites SEO. Along with this, we also spent time making sure their site was visibly pleasing, and easy to navigate. W...
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