Each year, updating fees and charges is a task that appears straightforward at first glance – but quickly proves more complex in practice.
Fees and charges affect a wide range of council services and are often some of the most viewed pages on the website. When information is unclear or incorrect, it can lead to confusion for residents, additional work for staff, and avoidable complaints. For that reason, this year’s approach focused on being more structured, joined‑up and user‑focused from the outset.
Starting early and getting organised
One of the most important changes was starting earlier than in previous years. Fees and charges updates involve multiple service areas, several approval stages and fixed deadlines linked to the start of the new financial year. Beginning the work earlier created space to plan properly rather than react under pressure.
A clear plan was put in place to show:
- which pages needed updating
- who needed to confirm figures
- when content needed to be ready to publish
A single shared tracker gave visibility across the work, making it easier to monitor progress, identify delays and reduce reliance on long email chains.
Working closely with service teams and Finance
Fees and charges bring together website content, service teams and Finance, so working closely across these areas is essential.
Rather than waiting for final documents to arrive, regular contact was maintained throughout the process. This helped to:
- sense‑check wording early
- highlight missing or unclear information
- raise potential issues before deadlines became critical
This approach reduced last‑minute changes and helped build confidence that published information was accurate and approved.
Keeping the focus on the user
A consistent focus throughout the work was the experience of the person reading the page.
Fees and charges content needs to be clear, easy to scan and written in plain English. This year, particular attention was given to:
- making prices easy to find on web pages
- explaining what a charge covers, not just listing amounts
- avoiding PDFs where possible
- using consistent wording across different services
Where charges were complex, content was worked through with services to simplify explanations without losing accuracy. These small improvements help users understand costs more quickly and with greater confidence.
Publishing with confidence
By the time content was published, there was:
- confirmation of figures
- clear sign‑off
- consistent, user‑focused wording across pages
This allowed the updates to go live on time and with confidence, rather than urgency. It also made it easier to respond to questions from colleagues and residents once the new fees were live.
What would be improved next time
While the process worked well overall, there are still opportunities to improve further next year.
Areas to build on include:
- Even earlier engagement with some service areas to reduce late changes
- Clearer guidance upfront on how fees should be presented on web pages
- More consistency in how services describe what a charge includes
- Earlier identification of complex fees, so these can be worked through in more detail
Capturing these lessons now will help make next year’s update smoother and more efficient.
Key takeaways
What worked well this year:
- Starting early and planning ahead
- Using a single tracker to manage updates
- Regular check‑ins with Finance and service teams
- Keeping content clear, consistent and written in plain English
- Publishing with confidence, not last‑minute pressure
