Overview

Our aim is to make the council’s websites easy to access and use so people can find essential information quickly, connect with services and streamline tasks like getting advice on council tax and housing benefit or requesting a new bin.

What should I expect?

As our current platform SharePoint 2013 is outdated and non-compliant (it poses a security risk as it’s no longer supported by Microsoft) the first phase of improvements will be moving existing sites to our updated content management platform Drupal. The design and layout of these web pages is not expected to change – which will help us to automate processes to make the move faster and avoid disruption. This phase is expected to finish by January 2025.

The move to Drupal will give services the flexibility to self-serve and update their content quickly to cater for the needs of the people of Leeds. Our project team are developing a strategy to deliver this alongside appropriate training and support.  

We will review our existing websites to make sure they’re fit-for-purpose, relevant, up to date and meet accessibility standards to help people find the right information on their first visit and reduce the number of overall sites, saving us money as an organisation.

In the second phase we’ll collaborate with services to redesign and improve websites and pages – with over 140 sites this is likely to take us beyond 2025.

What about sites that need to be redeveloped?

Our priority is moving sites to the new platform. We appreciate that services may need to urgently update their sites. We’ll assess and plan work requests in our weekly panel meetings. You can send a request using this form.

Please bear in mind that major redevelopment projects will only be considered if the work is a council priority with a justifiable urgent need and where funding is available. Routine content changes can still be made by emailing webmaster@leeds.gov.uk.

How can I get involved?

Once we’ve moved sites to Drupal we’ll be talking to services, colleagues and partners about what to expect and how we can work together. We’ll keep this website updated with the latest news including how you can be involved through workshops, events and surveys.

If you have any questions or for more information on the project email web.development@leeds.gov.uk.