General help with using this website

Finding information

We have made every effort to make it as easy as possible to find information on services. There are a number of ways you can navigate the site.

The main page (homepage) has been designed so that you can see our most popular online services (displayed as tiles) first. If the online service you want isn't listed, then click on the final tile - 'More online services'. You will be taken to our 'Do It Online' page, which displays all our online services. Here, you can pay, report or apply for services.

Beneath the most popular online services you will find a list of our services, listed in categories such as housing, planning and development and bins and recycling. Click on an icon and a list of popular pages for that service will be displayed. If what you are looking for isn't there, then click on the 'more' link. This will take you to the main section page for that service.

On the homepage the main components are:

  • Navigation bar at the top of the page, including search, A-Z and tabs for Resident and Business (clicking on the Business tab will take you to a business-focused homepage, but laid out in the same format).
  • Popular online transactions - tiles with icons displaying our most popular online services.
  • Service categories - For example, council tax, housing, benefits. Clicking on the icon will display the most popular pages for that service. It also includes, where applicable, a 'more' link which will take you to the main section page of that service.
  • Events calendar
  • News feed
  • Sitemap
  • Contact details
  • Social media links

Navigation bar at the top of the page, including search

The navigation bar appears on every page of the site so that you can access this information at all times.

A to Z

Here all our information is arranged alphabetically by subject. Select the letter of your choice and from the menu listing select the topic you require. Click on that item and you will then be taken straight into the webpage.

Please note that a number of services in Dacorum are provided by the county council. Some sections in the A-Z will take you to the Hertfordshire County Council website.

Site map

This shows you where each page lies within the structure of the website. View the layout of the site and choose from the clickable links to each area.

Contact

This shows you the main contact details for the council.

Accessibility options

This explains the many ways you can change your browser, computer, keyboard and mouse settings to make the web more accessible for you.

Search

Use the search box, at the top of the page, to find specific information. Type a word or short phrase in lower case or capitals and click on the search button. Choose the most relevant pages from the search results.

Simple search checks all the text on all the pages in the website. If you search for very common words or phrases, you may get some unexpected results.

Advanced search. The advanced search allows you to set options which target your search more accurately.

News and events

Clicking on the tile, image or link of a news story or event will take you into more detailed information for that item. Alternatively, clicking on the 'All news' or 'All events' buttons below the events or news feed will display the full selection of news stories and events. 

Section and page navigation

In This Section menu

This can be seen on most pages of the website. It appears at the bottom of the page and is a list all other related pages in that section. Clicking on a word in the menu will take you to that page. Please note that some pages in the menu may take you an external website, such as Hertfordshire County Council.

Hypertext links

Within some pages you will see words or phrases that are in green. These are clickable or hypertext links. Clicking on these links will lead you to other web pages or PDF documents, providing more detailed information.

Navigation string or "breadcrumb trail"

Above the title on each page you will see some text starting with Home>. This string of text shows where the page you are in lies in relation to other higher level pages. Clicking on a word within this navigation string will take you to a higher level page. It is a shortcut to previous pages within the section you are in.

Jargon

We strive to ensure that content on this website is easy to understand and contains a minimal amount of jargon. However, if you do come across a term or phrase which you don't understand a useful glossary to public services (and voluntary sector) jargon can be found at: 
localgovglossary.wikispaces.com

Problems viewing PDFs

We try to ensure that PDFs on the website are accessible and can be viewed easily. However, we are aware that, on occasion, users have had difficulties viewing PDFs when using Internet Explorer. To get around the problem, we recommend trying the following two solutions:

Solution one

  • Go into Internet Explorer
  • Select the 'Tools' menu
  • Then select 'Manage add-ons'
  • The manage add-ons window appears. Half way down this page is a drop-down menu titled 'Currently loaded add-ons'. Click on this menu and change to show 'All add-ons'.
  • Find and then select the 'Adobe PDF Reader' add-on. Now click the 'Disable' button (near the bottom right of the window).
  • Try to view the document again.

Solution two

  • Click the 'Windows Start button' in the bottom left hand corner of your screen and type 'Acrord32' into the search box. Click on the link when it appears.
  • Adobe Reader should start up.
  • Go to the 'Edit' menu, then select 'Preferences'.
  • Select the 'Internet' category from the panel on the left-hand side.
  • Ensure that the 'Allow fast web view' and the 'Allow speculative downloading in the background' boxes are unticked.
  • Then click 'OK' and exit Adobe Reader.
  • Try to view the document again.

Trouble finding information

If you cannot find the information you are looking for, or if you have any problems using this website please let us know.

Email: feedback@dacorum.gov.uk
Telephone: 01442 228000 (opening hours are 8.45am – 5.15pm, Monday to Thursday and 8.45am - 4.45pm, Friday)

Please note: as part of our continuing commitment to improving the quality of service provided, calls to the call centre may be recorded for training and service development purposes.

Page Last Updated: Tuesday, 06 June 2017 at 09:33 AM

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