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South Wilts Community Hub: Empowering Locals, Connecting Businesses

Join the online community hub - a user-friendly platform for locals to create and maintain websites without technical knowledge. Our mission is to enhance access to community resources, support local groups and businesses, and facilitate communication across communities. Developed and managed by the community for sustainability. No ongoing costs for taxpayers; revenue supported by commercial sponsors. Trusted users create content with features like job postings, events, and an online diary. Over 6 million hits since 2004. Future plans include expanding sponsorship, improving site functionality, and engaging more councilors online.

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South Wilts Community Hub: Empowering Locals, Connecting Businesses

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  1. www.southwilts.com communities online Steve Milton South Wiltshire Strategic Alliance

  2. www.southwilts.com? • A community development tool • Enables local people, groups and businesses to build & maintain websites • No HTML, XML or Java! • In fact, no technical stuff at all! • Just type and go! • 100% free for users!

  3. Our Aim • Improve access to community information • Promote community groups & activities • Promote local businesses and the rural economy • Improve access to public services • Improve communication between communities • Designed & managed by the community • Self sustaining • Meet ODPM eGov outcomes

  4. Funding • Funded by Govt. ePathfinder scheme • Wiltshire & Swindon awarded £1.4m • One of 25 projects • Complex bidding process • Partnership approach • £46k for www.southwilts.com

  5. Involving the Community • User group established at the outset • Design Workshop • Developed the Specification • Tested the site • Local ‘super-users’ and ‘champions’ • Will manage the site as a Charity in the future • Site acts as online consultation tool for the LSP

  6. Developing the Site • Selected a local company - Cravenplan • A commercial partnership • A complex contract • Cravenplan retain a stake • Cravenplan private investment of £30,000+ • Rewritten programme as an off the shelf eGov tool

  7. Sustainability • No ongoing cost to local Taxpayers • Revenue costs funded by commercial sponsorship • Community provides and manages content • User Group will take over management once sponsorship exceeds costs

  8. Features of the Site • Trusted Users • Template driven page creation • Advertisements • Job vacancies • Online Diary • Online eZine • Mailing lists • Self policing

  9. Is it working? • Currently 520 community sites hosted • 6.6m hits since Jan 2004 • 387,000 hits In August 2005 • 35,000 pages of local information viewed every month • £2,500 annual revenue from sponsors • System now procured up and running in Oxfordshire

  10. Where now? • More promotional work locally • All Councillors online by end 2005 • Drive up sponsorship income to £5,000 • Launch Phase 3 improvements • Cravenplan invested £30,000+ in nationwide marketing

  11. www.southwilts.com communities online Steve Milton South Wiltshire Strategic Alliance

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