Authors: Karen Gibbard, Sandra Lowe, Stephanie Palmer and Tim Willott from the Parish Council Domains Helper Team
As you may know, the cabinet office is working hard to support England's parish and town councils in moving to .gov.uk domains where they can conduct their business safely, more securely and efficiently.
We are doing this through the Parish Council Domains Helper Service, which will equip councils in England to move to a new .gov.uk domain. Those councils engaging with the helper service will receive the following:
- Enhanced support from a short list of domain registrars experienced in working with parish and town councils.
- Access to cabinet office funding of £100 plus VAT to help with their move.
Clerks will receive hands-on support via a series of four sessions that will:
- Help them get the green light from their council to move to a .gov.uk domain.
- Help them choose the right domain registrar for their council’s circumstances.
- Help them get their new domain set up.
- Help them maintain good working practices.
Each session is accompanied by a handy guide complete with information, tips and templates to help them move through the steps for moving to a .gov.uk domain.
If a council is already a .gov.uk domain owner but hasn’t yet taken up services such as email or a website, then the Helper Service and associated funding are still open to them.
Progress
In recent weeks, we’ve been talking to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), county associations and the Society of Local Council Clerks about the importance of moving over to a .gov.uk domain, and we are delighted with the response we’ve received. We had 33 clerks join our introductory sessions in January, with 30 already signed up to attend sessions in February. We are particularly grateful to the Derbyshire Association of Local Councils, whose recent article has prompted more than a dozen of their regional councils to get in touch.
How to engage with the parish council domains helper service
All parish and town councils in England have an open invite to our introductory sessions - they can register their interest by completing the registration of interest for a .gov.uk domain form.
Not ready for a .gov.uk domain?
Introductory sessions will be held throughout 2024, ensuring that councils can engage when they are ready to do so. Funding is also secured for the financial year 2024/25.
The following blog post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional or legal advice. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Association of Local Councils. Any links to external sources included in this blog post are provided for convenience and do not constitute endorsement or approval of those websites' content, products, services, or policies. Therefore, readers should use discretion and judgment when applying the information to their circumstances. Finally, this blog post may be updated or revised without notice.