Help

• General help

• Technical help

• External sites

• PDFs and Adobe Acrobat

• Plug-ins

• Information for new Internet users

• Cookies and 'Web-bugs'

• Help with Access

• Search and Find

General help

Using the Herefordshire Council website

How do I know which area of the site I am using?
The grey text at the top of the screen shows where you are in the structure of the Council's website. The current web page is shown in relation to its parents - think of it as a family tree! This shows you which part of the site you are in. For example:

You Are Here: Home | Business

How can I move to a different area of the site?
You can use the navigation on the left of the screen to move to new areas of the site. You can also use the breadcrumb near the top of the page. This changes to show the area and page of the site that you are currently using.

Back to top

Still need further help?

I cannot find the answer to my question.
If you are still having problems or have a question that you want to ask, complete the contact us online form to send us your query.

Technical help

If you are having technical problems with the site, these FAQs will be able to help you.

Equipment

Why doesn't my browser display the web site properly?
In order to support as wide a range of browsers as possible and allow users of all abilities (including those with a visual impairment or physical disability) to access http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ , the site has been developed according to recognised standards set down by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). One of these standards is for the use of Cascading Style Sheets so that the site supports any browser that in turn supports this standard. Some browsers, particularly earlier versions, either do not, or only partially support, this standard. These browsers might not display the site text and graphics properly. We have taken steps to minimise adverse effects.

Which browsers can I use to access http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ ?
For the best results when using our website the following minimum browser and operating system combinations are recommended:

• Internet Explorer 6 and later (Windows)
• Mozilla Firefox 2 and later (Windows)
• Opera 7 and later (Windows)
• Safari (Apple Mac)

For users with disabilities the following are recommended (please also refer to the Accessibility Statement section of this web site for further information on accessibility): Jaws 3.7. Lynx 2.8.3.

What if I don't have one of the recommended browsers?
This website has been designed to support as wide a variety of browser and operating system combinations as possible. Browsers such as Chrome or Netscape or those from other suppliers will allow the user to access the site and use the pages but might not display the site as designed, nor provide the user with the best experience of using the website. Most browser suppliers will allow you to upgrade for free, either because they don't charge for their browser or because you have bought a previous version. To upgrade your browser go to the supplier's web site and follow the instructions provided.

Which screen resolution should I use for displaying http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ ?
The recommended minimum display settings for the our web pages are 1024x768 and 24-bit colour. For information on adjusting the display resolution try the help files of your operating system or consult the manufacturer's website.

Back to top

External sites

I am trying to access an external website but keep receiving error messages.
We cannot guarantee the operation of other organisations' websites. There are many reasons why such a website might be unavailable, from server-side problems like addressing and scripting, to browser issues. If, however, you continue to have problems linking to a site from our website please email us at editor@herefordshire.gov.uk.

How quick is access to external websites from http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ ?
This depends on the transmission speed of your modem. A minimum transmission speed of 28.8KBps is recommended. A 14.4KBps modem will work although your connection will be slower.

Back to top

PDF files and Adobe Acrobat

What is Acrobat Reader?
Some webpages are not written in HTML but in a special format called Portable Data Format (PDF). Browsers cannot display PDF documents so you will need a plug-in program called Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program lets you magnify and find screen text. It is freely available from the Adobe website. The Adobe Acrobat Reader download is also commonly available on CD-ROMs and is often preloaded on computers. We have provided links to help you get the Adobe Reader wherever we have made a PDF available.

If you experience problems viewing a PDF it may be worth checking which version of Adobe Reader you have and seeing if a more recent version will help.

AOL 9 and Adobe Reader 8

There have been occurrences of users not being able to open PDF documents correctly when using AOL's internet software in conjunction with Adobe Reader version 8. It is recommended that users download the latest version of Adobe Reader as it resolves the issue. You can download it via the link: http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

Back to top

Plug-ins

What is a plug-in?
A plug-in is a program that enables a browser to access multimedia zones on the web. No plug-ins are needed to access herefordshire.gov.uk, although some might be needed for accessing audio, video or special file formats on websites to which we link. Some external websites may offer you a download of the plug-in needed to view the site. Where this is the case you should receive clear instructions on screen. Be aware there may be legal and system requirements you need to satisfy.

Back to top

Information for new Internet users

As a beginner, where can I get information about the Internet?
We do not provide basic information about computers, networks and the Internet. However, if you are new to this subject a good place to start is the

BBC WebWise site. For advice on how to use the Internet visit a UKonline centre. These have been set up to help everyone in the UK who wants to learn how to access to the Internet.

Back to top

Cookies and 'web-bugs'

What is a cookie?
Many websites use cookies to "remember" information about you. A cookie is a program sent by the server to your computer. It makes it more convenient for you by allowing you to visit pages within a site without having to reintroduce yourself with each mouse click.

http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ uses cookies but does not use them for any personal identifiable information. Our Privacy Statement tells you all about them, how we use them on this site and how to opt out.

What are 'web-bugs'?
A 'Web-bug' is a graphics file, generally a 1 x 1 pixel transparent image, placed on a web page to help monitor its usage. Our site, http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/, uses 'web-bugs' to help us gather visitor trends information for developing our content as effectively as possible. We do not use it to gather any personal identifiable information. Choosing not to take part in our visitor trend analysis disables the 'web-bug'.

If you are concerned about your privacy while visiting this site, read our Privacy Statement

Back to top

Help with access

If you're having problems accessing information on this site see our Accessibility Statement for help. If you continue to experience difficulties then we would like to know, visit the Contact us page to send us your query by email.

Accessibility Standards

What standards does this website meet for accessibility?
The site meets World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) A-level standard. You can read more about these standards at the WWW consortium website.

Back to top

Search and find

Help with searching, using directories and finding the information you need.

Can't find what you are looking for?

Try our A-Z of services - an alphabetical list of all the council's services with links to their relevant web pages.

Search tips

How to use the search

The search box is located at the top right of every web page. Type your search term in the box and press the enter key or click the search button. The results screen then appears.

Sorting your results

By default the results are sorted by relevance, with the most relevant document at the top. You can also sort by title, size or date using the links by the same name.

Results grouped by tabs

You can use the tabs at the top of your search results to filter the results. Just click on a tab to select it, or use the keyboard tab key to move along the choices and press enter to select one.

• Web pages -  is the default tab and displays results from standard web pages on the council website
• Documents -  displays results for documents on the council website
• News -  displays news article pages from the news section on the council website
• Consultations -  displays consultation pages from the have your say section on the council website
• Councillors -  displays pages from the councillors and committees section on the council website
• Other websites -  displays results from our affiliate websites:
  myherefordshire.com http://www.myherefordshire.com/  
  Herefordshire Partnership http://www.herefordshirepartnership.com/  
  Welcome to Herefordshire http://www.welcometoherefordshire.com/  
  Herefordshire Through Time www.herefordshire.gov.uk/htt  
  H-Art www.herefordshire.gov.uk/h-art  
  Arts Market www.herefordshire.gov.uk/artsmarket  
  Craft Fair www.herefordshire.gov.uk/craftfair  

Be specific

Use specific words to describe exactly what you're looking for. More general terms will give a larger number of results, so try to narrow your search.

Spelling mistakes

If a spelling mistake has been spotted and recognised we will suggest the correct spelling. For example, if you search for "planing", we will suggest "Did you mean planning?"

Excluding words

To exclude words, type a minus sign - in front of them. No results containing those words will be shown.

For example, if you want to see pages about Herefordshire with no mention of council, search for Herefordshire -council.

Word order

To search for an exact phrase, put quotation marks around two or more words.

For example, search on "abandoned vehicles" (typing the quotation marks into the box).

Upper and lower case

The search will find words that match regardless of capital letters or otherwise.

For example, Hereford will find HEREFORD or hereford or Hereford or HeReFoRd.

Back to top