Help with this Site

If you're use to using the site you'll notice that the look and feel of it has changed.  We feel it's changed for the better and will allow you to find the information you're after much easier.

The first thing you'll notice is the homepage. There's a lot of information on this page and we make no apologies for it - what it does do, however is present you with a snapshot of the whole sit which we hope means you can find what you're looking for a lot eaiser.

Under the mainpage are the main sections.  These have been reduced to 5 key areas:

• Advice and Information
• Council and Democracy
• Tourism and Leisure
• Community and Living
• Council Services

 

There are also two other main areas which are accessible from a variety of places around the site:

• Online Services
• Site Tools and Information.

 

If you select any of these options you'll notice you'll go to a section frontpage - this frontpage contains the main links to all of the information section in that area. 

You'll notice each section is clearly marked and shows what other information can be found in that section.  You may also notice that some information appears under more than one section - this is because we know a lot of users look in different areas for the same information.

Once you've selected your information, you'll be taken to a main content page, which has been redesigned to make it easier to read.

The Top of the Page

You'll notice the same information appears in the same place on all the pages, this is to get you comfortable with using the site, so you know where to look for the key information at all times.

At the very top of the page you'll notice our logo.  Clicking this will always take you back to the homepage.

You'll also notice a "breadcrumb trail" - this shows you where you are on the site, and if you should find yourself 'lost' you can easily retrace your steps.

At the top right of the screen are a number of key controls that appear on every page.

As well as the main section headers, you'll see links for the most popular areas of the site - the A to Z, this help page, how to contact us etc.

Main Menus

There are two main menus on every page.  The menu on the left is the navigation menu, this is the one you will use to find your way around the site.  Each menu is clearly titled, and should clicking on a link take you to a section with a new menu, the previous menu will appear below. 

This is so you can easily see if there was other information available that you feel you should havve looked at.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the right hand side of the page you'll see our 'control' menu.  This menu is more or less the same on every page - except for one detail.

The first box is the search box.  This allows you to search the whole site for any information, you can also try and advanced search - which allows you to define what you're looking for a bit more - or can simply use the A-Z

Below this you'll find the 'Related Pages' section - this box only appears if there is other relevant or associated information you should also look at - these may be pages on our site, or other external websites.  It's useful to check these information boxes because if you haven't quite found the information you're looking for, you may find it in highlighted in this box.  Sometimes this box contains direct contact details of the person or department you should speak to for more information.

The 'Contact us' box contains quick information for contacting us - our address, phone number and a link to our online comments and complaints form.  You can also click on the contact us link at the top of the page which shows you all of the ways you can contact us.

The 'site tools and info' section gives you access to some key information about using the site - our commitment to accessibility, how to best use the site, how to listen fo the website and the terms and conditions of use.

 

Bottom of the Page

At the bottom of the page you will also find the Related Pages information that appears in the right hand menu.  You will also see the 'print this page' option - this allows you to print the page in a clean format.  Each page also has a 'Page last update' information line which tells you how current the page is.