Case Study: North Petherton Town Council Website
A clear, accessible and resident-focused website for North Petherton Town Council
SlashDotDash Ltd created the website for North Petherton Town Council, helping the council provide residents, visitors and local organisations with easier access to meeting information, council documents, local services, news and public notices.
The website was designed to support the day-to-day needs of a busy town council, with a clear structure, accessible content, useful quick links and a layout that helps people find important information quickly.
Project overview
North Petherton Town Council needed a website that could act as a reliable online hub for the local community.
The council serves North Petherton and surrounding areas including Farrington, Fordgate, Huntworth, Moorland, Rhode, Shearston, North Newton, West Newton, Somerset Bridge, Woolmersdon, Wilstock and Stockmoor.
For a town council, the website needs to do more than look professional. It needs to make statutory information easy to access, support residents who are looking for local services, provide meeting documents clearly and remain manageable for council staff.
SlashDotDash Ltd created a website that brings this information together in one structured, accessible and easy-to-use online presence.
The challenge
Town and parish council websites have a wide range of users. Residents may be looking for meeting dates, agendas, minutes, councillor contact details, local services, policies, grants or public notices. Council staff also need to keep information up to date without the website becoming difficult to manage.
The key challenge was to create a website that was:
- Clear for residents
- Practical for council staff
- Accessible for as many users as possible
- Suitable for publishing council documents
- Easy to navigate on desktop and mobile
- Structured around the council’s services and responsibilities
- Ready to support ongoing updates, notices and local information
For public-sector websites, accessibility is especially important. GOV.UK guidance says public-sector websites should meet WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards and publish an accessibility statement, unless a valid exception applies.
The solution
SlashDotDash Ltd created a council website with a clear information architecture built around the way residents use local council websites.
The homepage includes prominent quick links to core council information, including:
- Meeting dates
- Minutes and agendas
- Policies and forms
- Finances
- Councillors and staff
- Grants
These quick links help residents find the most commonly requested council information without needing to search through multiple pages.
The website also includes sections for council services such as Heathfield Cemetery, Pilot’s Helm Allotments, public toilets, street cleaning and local recreational areas.
Key website features
Clear council navigation
The website structure separates information into logical sections, including Town Council, Local Information, Public Services, Planning, Procurement, Vacancies and Contact.
This makes the site easier to browse and helps residents understand where to find the information they need.
Meeting dates, agendas and minutes
Council transparency depends on meeting information being easy to access.
The website includes dedicated areas for meeting dates, agendas, minutes and supporting papers. The guide to meetings page explains that a calendar of meetings is available and that agendas, supporting papers and minutes are published so people can read or download them.
Policies, forms and finance documents
The website includes structured areas for policies, forms, grant documents and financial information. This helps the council publish important documents in a way that is easier for residents to locate.
Councillors and staff information
The website includes a dedicated Councillors & Staff section, helping residents identify councillors, roles and council contacts. This is important for accountability and for making local democratic information easier to access.
Local services and community information
The website is not only a statutory document hub. It also supports the local community by providing information about local facilities, public services, recreation areas, schools, medical information, charities, defibrillators and community organisations.
This helps the website act as a useful local resource as well as a council information platform.
Accessibility and WCAG support
Accessibility was an important part of the project.
The website includes a published accessibility statement for North Petherton Town Council. The statement explains that the council wants as many people as possible to be able to use the website, including being able to change colours, contrast levels and fonts, zoom up to 300%, navigate most of the website using a keyboard, use speech recognition software and listen to most of the website using a screen reader.
The accessibility statement also records that the site is working towards WCAG 2.2 AA, with ongoing work noted around document downloads and image alternative text.
A recent accessibility audit recorded an average score of 9.94/10 across all pages, with the website continuing to address pages that require improvement.
Security, hosting and ongoing support
Council websites need to be secure, reliable and maintained. They often contain contact forms, public documents and important local information that residents depend on.
SlashDotDash Ltd supports WordPress websites with secure setup, SSL, backups, security monitoring, maintenance, accessibility checks and ongoing improvements. SlashDotDash’s WordPress website design page also highlights support after launch, including WordPress hosting, website maintenance, security monitoring, content updates, plugin updates, performance checks and accessibility checks.
For managed WordPress hosting, SlashDotDash lists features including daily backups, daily AV scanning, SSL, ModSecurity and active DDoS protection.
For councils, this kind of technical support is important because the website should not be left unsupported after launch.
Training and ease of use
A council website needs to be manageable by the people responsible for keeping residents informed.
SlashDotDash Ltd provides training and support so website users can feel confident managing their website after launch. This is especially useful for clerks, administrators and council staff who need to publish news, upload documents, update contact details and maintain council information.
For a town or parish council, this can include training on:
- Adding news posts
- Updating pages
- Uploading agendas and minutes
- Managing policies and forms
- Editing councillor information
- Adding links
- Checking headings and page structure
- Keeping content accessible
- Avoiding common document accessibility issues
The outcome
The finished North Petherton Town Council website gives residents a clearer way to access council information online.
The website now provides:
- A structured homepage with useful quick links
- Dedicated meeting information
- Published agendas, minutes and supporting papers
- Council policies, forms and financial documents
- Councillor and staff information
- Community and local service information
- A published accessibility statement
- A clear contact page
- A website credit showing it is powered by SlashDotDash Ltd
The result is a practical council website that supports residents, improves access to information and gives the council a stronger digital presence.
Need a better website for your town or parish council?
SlashDotDash Ltd creates accessible, secure and easy-to-manage websites for local councils.
Why this matters for town and parish councils
A well-built council website helps residents stay informed and helps councils meet their communication responsibilities.
For town and parish councils, a website should make it easy to find:
- Meeting dates
- Agendas and minutes
- Councillor information
- Policies and forms
- Finance information
- Local services
- Public notices
- Community updates
- Contact details
- Accessibility information
It should also be built with accessibility, security and ease of management in mind.
The North Petherton Town Council website is a strong example of how a local council website can be structured around real resident needs.
Council website services from SlashDotDash Ltd
SlashDotDash Ltd can help town and parish councils with:
- New council websites
- Website redesigns
- .gov.uk council websites
- WCAG accessibility support
- Accessibility statements
- Meeting document areas
- Policies and forms sections
- Councillor profile pages
- Council news and notices
- Local service pages
- Secure contact forms
- UK hosting
- Website backups
- SSL setup
- Security monitoring
- Free website training
- Ongoing support and maintenance
Whether your council needs a new website or wants to improve an existing one, SlashDotDash Ltd can help create a practical website that works for residents and council staff.
Frequently asked questions
Can SlashDotDash Ltd create websites for town and parish councils?
Yes. SlashDotDash Ltd creates websites for councils, charities, schools and businesses, with experience building responsive websites and supporting organisations after launch.
Can you help with WCAG accessibility?
Yes. SlashDotDash Ltd can help with WCAG compliance, accessibility checks and practical improvements that make websites easier for more people to use.
Can you help with council documents?
Yes. Council websites often need clear areas for agendas, minutes, policies, forms and financial documents. SlashDotDash Ltd can help structure these areas so residents can find information more easily.
Can the council update the website itself?
Yes. SlashDotDash Ltd can provide training and support so authorised council staff can update pages, add news, publish documents and manage content after launch.
Do you provide hosting?
Yes. SlashDotDash Ltd provides managed WordPress hosting, including features such as daily backups, SSL, daily AV scanning, ModSecurity and active DDoS protection.
Can you review an existing council website?
Yes. SlashDotDash Ltd can review an existing town or parish council website and recommend improvements to accessibility, structure, navigation, security, content and usability.
Ready to improve your council website?
If your town or parish council needs a clearer, more accessible and easier-to-manage website, SlashDotDash Ltd can help.
From planning and design to WCAG support, UK hosting, security, free training and ongoing support, we can create a council website that works for residents and staff.
Already have a website? We can review it and recommend practical improvements.
