Medway.gov.uk content proposition

Last updated: 15 May 2025

Content proposition

Medway.gov.uk is the council’s corporate website.

It exists to meet the needs of:

residents who need information or to complete a task
Medway businesses that need to comply with their responsibilities
anyone who wants to visit or do business with Medway.

The intranet or other means of communication should be used for Medway Council staff.

Purpose

The medway.gov.uk website is the primary source of Medway Council information. It is the first channel that many residents will view and interact with.

The objective of the website is to provide information on council services, helping users understand what they can and need to do.

It is designed to:

contain accurate and up to date information
give users the level of detail they need – striking the balance between too little content and too much content which can overwhelm and confuse users
give users information and allow them to complete tasks without them needing to understand our internal structure
be accessible to everyone
continually improve to meet user needs.

This proposition is designed to:

make sure medway.gov.uk remains a trusted source
tell you what can and cannot be published
give users information they need in a way they understand.

It is based on the GOV.UK proposition.

The content design team will regularly review the proposition to reflect the changing requirements of both users and our services.

Governance

The content design team has the final say on what will and will not be published on the medway.gov.uk website based on data, best practice, legal requirements, appropriate channels and what information is already available.

We will work with you (subject matter experts) to design the best content and user experiences possible.

Find out more about what you and content designers are responsible for.

What we will publish

We will publish content if it:

has a clear purpose
has an information owner (responsible for factual accuracy)
is not already available elsewhere
is legally compliant with relevant laws and regulations such as copyright, accessibility, data protection and privacy.

The content should meet one of the following criteria:

Council services

It is something that can only be done with Medway Council, for example:

reporting a pothole
applying for a school place
booking an appointment to register a birth.

Information and guidance about council services

It is official information about something Medway Council do, to help people better understand how to engage with a service and self-serve more effectively where possible. For example:

how to get support from children’s social care
what documents to send when applying for a Blue Badge
who qualifies for home to school transport.

Policy and statutory obligations

It helps us be transparent, explain policies clearly, and fulfil legal obligations. For example:

information about our spending and financial performance
information about policies and strategies and how they are being implemented, for example our Council Plan
getting people’s feedback, for example through consultations.

Responding to major events

It shows what the council is doing to respond to major issues and incidents that have a direct impact on the lives of the people of Medway or have significant public interest. For example:

information about our response to COVID-19
information about the cost of living
information about severe weather events.

Helping users follow the law

It helps people and businesses meet their legal obligations, for example:

registering a death
making a planning application
understanding if a licence is needed and how to apply for it.

Support schemes

It helps people find and access council-funded support schemes. For example:

advice for businesses
applying for the household support fund.

Campaign activity

It supports raising awareness of important topics in line with local or national campaigns. For example:

raising awareness of public health issues
encouraging participation in issues and events.

The content we publish will:

use HTML instead of documents wherever possible
be based on evidence such as data and customer feedback
not assume the user knows what we’re talking about
simplify complex information
be broken into small digestible blocks
be written in plain English
be written in line with our content standards and style guide.

View our content standards and style guide.

What we will not publish

We will not publish:

content that is not legally compliant
personal, confidential or sensitive information on individuals
content or adverts that give a commercial advantage to a person or organisation
content that gives advice that a non-governmental organisation is better placed to do
information available from other trusted websites (we can link to it)
content that duplicates other information already on medway.gov.uk
archives of old content, documents, newsletters or past events
downloadable documents designed for printing such as leaflets, brochures or posters
images that contain text
team pages (users do not and should not need to understand our internal structure)
frequently asked questions (FAQs)
jargon (special words used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand)
vanity content that serves the needs of Medway Council and not users.

The above list is not comprehensive and will be updated as needed. Some exceptions may apply. Contact our Lead Content Designer at jade.selby@medway.gov.uk if you have any questions.