2 June 2006

The number of people using the St Albans City and District Council's website services has significantly increased.

New figures reveal that in the 12 months to April 2006, there was a 40 per cent rise in website activity.

A range of council services are available online, such as being able to look at planning applications, calculate benefits entitlement, pay council tax, check and comment on licensing applications and find out about council jobs available.

Councillor David Yates, portfolio holder for community safety and support, whose responsibilities include IT, said it is beneficial for the council and residents that a growing number of people are comfortable using the Internet to obtain information about their local area and access services.

He commented: "In addition to being more convenient for residents, contacting the council via the Internet substantially reduces our costs, helping us to keep down council tax."

Mr Yates explained that the "hidden cost" of a face-to-face meeting with a councillor can be as much as £20 and it can be up to £5 for a telephone call, but the cost for dealing with the query online is usually under £1 and can be as little as 25p.

© Adfero Ltd

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