uEngage powers Wyre in the drive to meet the demands of the Local Democracy Act.

Wyre Borough Council has been commended for its public consultation portal from Socitm, the membership association for all IT professionals working in local authorities and the public sectors.  

The Wyre Portal is based on uEngage a multi-channel, web-based consultation platform from Limehouse Software an Objective Corporation company. The solution simplifies the processes of consultation management, analysis and reporting to enable councils and other government organizations to engage more effectively with local citizens.

The Commendation relates to Socitm’s recently released ‘Better Connected’ report which was based on analysis of 433 local authority websites in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

The report reviewed the information content of websites by focusing on the six topics that generate the most visits to council websites, namely: jobs, library services, schools, family history, planning and rubbish collection. It also assessed website performance, including currency, links, transactions, location, navigation, A-Z, search, and accessibility.

The Socitm review stated: “A very impressive looking consultation portal, featuring virtual tour, register and comment and view other people's comments … You can search comments under a heading 'Who said what?' which I think would really appeal to people and generate discussion. Obviously a lot of effort has been put in here.”

Andy Heath, Web Communications Officer, Wyre Borough Council, stated: “To be commended in this way by our own industry peer group is a tremendous result for us. The uEngage solution has enabled us to adopt a more efficient way of consulting that involves all key stakeholders. In so doing it will also help us to engage more effectively with the people we serve.  This ensures that the services that Wyre Borough Council provides meet the requirements of the local community.”

Simon Etherington, UK General Manager, Objective Corporation, stated: “We are delighted that Wyre has been commended by such a well recognised industry body. This was a visionary project and one we are proud to be a part of. Such ‘Best Practice’ leads the way in local government and is an example others should follow to not only meet their statutory requirements, but improve citizen engagement.”