Portsmouth City Council's commitment to plain English has been recognised with the award of a Crystal Mark for its website.
Out of nearly 500 local authorities in England and Wales only 30 have received the Internet Crystal Mark from the Plain English Campaign.
Chrissie Maher, founder director of the Plain English Campaign, said: "Portsmouth residents can use the City Council's website with confidence, knowing that they will be able to find the information they need and not be baffled by jargon. We were impressed by the excellent navigation system, well-written text and the good design of this website."
Louise Wilders, Head of Customer First for Portsmouth City Council, said: "We have worked hard to ensure that information is easy to access. By organising the site logically and clearly we have tried to avoid visitors having to wade through irrelevant information before they find what they want."
Portsmouth City Council has corporate membership of the Plain English Campaign which shows commitment to clear communications in all its documents.
The Crystal Mark now appears on the website's home page which can be found at: www.portsmouth.gov.uk
ENDS
Notes for editors
The Plain English Campaign is an independent pressure group formed in 1979 to fight gobbledegook and unclear public information. The Campaign has more than 6000 members in 80 countries. It funds itself through commercial activities including editing and training. The campaigning work includes annual awards for good use of plain English and the infamous 'Golden Bull' booby prizes. The Campaign's Crystal Mark seal of approval, which is bases on rigorous testing on the public, now appears on more than 9500 documents.
Issued By:
Jane Robinson, Communications Officer
Tel: 023 9283 1024
Email : jane.robinson@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
