Why Your Website and Email Are at the Heart of Compliance

For most councils, the website and email system are the main public-facing tools. They connect residents, manage transparency, and hold or transmit large volumes of personal data. That’s why they now sit squarely in the spotlight under Assertion 10.

Websites: your public digital record

An outdated or insecure website can expose personal data, misrepresent information, or fail accessibility standards. Common issues include:

  • Missing SSL certificates (“Not secure” in browsers)

  • Out-of-date WordPress plugins or themes

  • Inaccessible PDF documents or missing accessibility statements

  • Poor hosting security or backups

A well-managed council website, on the other hand, provides evidence of responsible digital governance. It should be:

  • Hosted in the UK for data protection compliance

  • Regularly updated and backed up automatically

  • Fully accessible (WCAG 2.2 AA)

  • Managed through secure, limited accounts

Email: your digital paper trail

Email is where most breaches happen. Councillors and clerks often use personal accounts for convenience, but that practice is no longer acceptable under Assertion 10.

Using a dedicated council or .gov.uk email address:

  • Keeps official correspondence separate from personal data

  • Ensures messages are stored in the UK under secure control

  • Reduces risk of phishing and impersonation

  • Provides audit-ready records of council communication

With modern UK-hosted mail systems, you can have professional council-branded emails with encrypted delivery, and easy mobile access — all without needing to be technical.

⚙️ Assertion 10 connection: secure website + professional email = clear evidence of IT risk management.

Building an integrated, compliant system

When your website, hosting, and email come from one secure provider, everything becomes easier to manage and justify at audit time.

Instead of piecing together multiple suppliers, you have:

  • One point of contact

  • UK data residency

  • Unified backup and security controls

That’s why many councils are now upgrading their entire digital setup in one step — website, email, and domain — to meet Assertion 10 with confidence.

How can Town and Parish Council Websites help?

  • We provide a complete service, website design and set-up and hosting.
  • We can register .gov.uk domain names for your and set up emails that use the same domain.
  • We are local Council specialists and produce websites that are fully compliant with all relevant legislation.
  • Our websites are compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards, meet GDPR requirements and have all the pages necessary for your to publish the information required by the Transparency Code.
  • We offer stability and security for your crucial information. We are well established and have over 120 local Councils who use our services.

Want to know what it will cost?

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