A taxpayer-funded website launched at a cost of thousands has been branded 'a PR stunt gone wrong' after it emerged it is attracting less than ten users a day.
Officials from Oldham council, Greater Manchester Police, the NHS and education bosses splashed out over £25,000 on 'Oldham Says' which they say is aimed at making the town safer.
It went live earlier this year and encourages residents to share their views on issues affecting the borough. It also promotes safety initiatives and advertises community events.
But the website has come under fire after it emerged it received just 2,548 unique visitors in the six months to the end of September. This means an average of 14 users a day but figures fell during August and September to less than ten users a day.
A total of just over £25,000 has been spent on the project – meaning that each user of the site has cost the taxpayer around £10.
The low figures have prompted scathing criticism from the Taxpayers Alliance who have labelled the site 'basic' and a 'waste of money'.
Funded from central government, the initiative attracted just 268 views in August and 296 in September.
Nick Brown, chair of the Oldham Partnership, which helped set up the site, said numbers will improve.
Mr Brown, who is also head of Oldham Sixth Form College, said: “This website is just one part of a wider campaign aimed at giving residents information and a way for their concerns to be dealt with.
“Oldham Says is still a new resource and it is expected that numbers will increase as more people understand its value to themselves and to their community.”
But Fiona McEvoy, from the Taxpayers Alliance, slammed the website. She said: “Though it’s important the council has a dialogue with local residents, this is an enormous amount to have spent on what looks like a fairly basic site.
'This situation is made worse by the fact it’s proved so unpopular – it looks as though this is just a costly PR stunt gone wrong.
“If the authorities really want to improve their profile in Oldham they they’d be best advised to stop wasting money on gimmicks and concentrate on delivering quality services and value for taxpayers’ money”.
Richard Jones, editor of local news website saddleworthnews.com , unearthed the poor visitor figures for the website after submitting a request under the Freedom of Information act.
He said: “There's nothing wrong with the idea of the site but I'm afraid it's simply half-baked.
“A bit more expertise could make it successful, but I don't think too many people in local authorities have much idea of how to get the best out of the internet."
The website also has a facebook page that has attracted just 135 members.
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
This is exactly the sort of self-indulgent rubbish that should be gotton rid of during the spending review. What's more, a decent and professional web site can be designed for less than a tenth of the cost involved here - afterall, Manchester is the digital agency capital of the UK.
More money wasting in Oldham, no wonder the town council is in so much financial difficulty. The chief exec is one of the highest paid in the UK and yet he seems to be made out of teflon! In Oldham the buck doesn't stop with anyone and that's the usual justification for high salaries. No responsibilities should mean much lower salaries.
I have a feeling the Curse of Vance Miller is lurking in the shadows!
And why is the "solution" always a web site, or even the internet? Because you don't have to answer awkward questions from the public. More of an easy tick the box cop out.
And I thought I was doing bad with a website I run that gets about 5 unique visitors a day - but mine has only cost me about £25 in materials so far, so I reckon I'm doing considerably better!
COULD THE POOR RESPONSE BE THAT PEOPLE THINK IT BEGINS WITH H?????????
Why is anyone surprised? Oldham is FibDem/Liebour controlled, ie. socialist!!
Socialism is synonymous with waste and profligacy. This can't have been the first time Oldham is seen to waste tens of thousands of taxpayers cash, and it certainly won't be the last as recession bites.
Fiona McEvoy needs to investigate the would spending of oldham council because the way they waste tax payers money on pointless wasteful things is disgusting!
most councils do it, but ombc seem to excel at it!
Ah, the Taxpayer's Alliance! Why am I not surprised to see them popping up for a quote here with their 20:20 hindsight? If they had their way no agency would ever launch any initiative on the grounds that it MIGHT not work.
This news story should give them a bump in visitor numbers!
here's just a few wasteful projects they've come up with in the short time in charge.
Oldham Says website - £25,000
Oldhams logo rebranding - £lost count!
Oldham in bloom 2009 - £200,000
bloom and grow giant seaside 2010 - £200,000
the 5 days of poppys projected on the civic centre - £25,000
revamp of the nativity scene - £1,500
failed vance miller case - £3 million
bringing in kpmg accountants to save money - £2 million,
oldham athletic stadium relocation - £Still mounting!
worsley marriot weekend away - £2,900
grit suppliers and gritters that aren't deployed when it snows - £ still awaiting the cost
countless recent traffic calming projects - £300,000 for saddleworths roads including £80,000 just for flashing signs
tommyfield market relocation into gazeebo's on the high street - £45,800
Claims against the council for damage to presonal injurys and cars due to road conditions - £1.7 million
upgrading meeting rooms at Oldham Civic Centre - £500,000
several wasteful surveys of the old town hall - £14,000 +
then there two years alone of charlie parker! £426,000
Thats eight million four hundred and fourty thousand, two hundred pounds of was in the last two years alone.
and i've still missed quite a few out!
then you've got the £100 million Metrolink extention through the town to consider soon.
an remember its us the tax payer who's paying for all this waste!
Why do these websites have to b e so expensive ,i ran mine addmitted it was a standard website for less than £100 a year surely for a few hundred pounds a year the council could run a bog standard few pages for information.
What functionality - and value - does the Oldham Says site provide that Facebook doesn't?
The cost over that the time period suggest that perhaps 2 FTE's have been employed to develop and manage the site - let's hope it's not any more!
So many internet geniuses on here running great websites for next to nothing. At least Big Society ad the Spending Review will give you all a chance to put your money where your mouths are, save the taxpayers thousands and offer to run council websites for free as volunteers.
You can contact the council on 0161 770 3000 if you'd like to offer your web deign, hosting and marketing services for free. I'm sure they'd welcome eyour help.
No? Didn't think so.
How about these wasteful idiots set up a website like;
www.spendtaxpayersmoneyresponsibly.com
??