Introduction

If you are finding it difficult to read the content on this website please take a look at the Viewing the Website section below for helpful guidance.

This website has been constructed according to guidance laid out from central government and the world wide web consortium. It makes every attempt to meet current disability and access standards.

The content consists of a mix of local pages and pages which have been defined at central government level according to the Local Government Category List (LGCL). The LGCL attempts to define all public services and to standardise descriptions.

However, it is appreciated that this standardisation may mean that subjects and items exist where you would not naturally expect to find them. In these cases utilities such as the Search this Site and A to Z of Council Services exist to try and help you locate the subject of your choice.

Downloadable utilities are available on this page to help you view documents.

Contacting the Council

For help with all you enquiries you can find contact telephone numbers, corporate email addresses and information on how to locate the Council's offices in our  section.

Searching for content on your chosen subject

Using the search utility - key in a word or phrase that most closely matches the subject you are searching for. Please remember that the more words you use in the phrase, then the less your chance of the search finding the documents you are looking for. If the search fails to locate the pages you want then try using different words; e.g. a search for "trash" may not bring results but a search for "rubbish" may be successful.

Further help with using the search exists within the search utility

The A-Z offers a further method for locating pages. A search utility exists within the A-Z but this differs from the website search and can produce different results. Use of the A-Z to locate a subject category according to the first letter can help; e.g. clicking on the button 'A' will show all services that exist under the category A, such as Abandoned Vehicles.

The A-Z also allows you to identify quickly, services that are provided by Erewash Borough Council and by Derbyshire County Council. This is done via the logo displayed next to the services listed.

On-line Services: On the right hand side of the website is a column with service links, which will take you quickly to the most commonly accessed areas of the website; e.g. online payments. Other quick links are available by clicking on the Further Links.... at the base of this section.

Navigating the Subject List

Local Government Category List holds all the pages within this site and provides the categorisation under which these pages can be found; e.g. Planning Services can be found under Environment. To move through the list click on the subject heading where you page lists - further sub-categories may exist beneath this. To return quickly to the homepage, you may click on the home link above the subject list or click the 'Up one level' text to move back up the subject list one level at a time.

Viewing the Website

Our website is best viewed using Internet Explorer 5 and above or Netscape 4.0 or above in screen resolutions of 800x600 and above.

Altering the font size manually - When you first access this website the pages are sized automatically to ensure that the content fits onto one page/screen size. This may mean that the font can be too small for someone to read. In this case, you have several options:

• Switch to Text Version only - You can switch the site to 'Text Version' located in the top left corner of the page - this removes all pictures and graphics, allowing you to view content text only.
• Using the mouse to alter screen size - If you have a wheel button mouse (a rotating button between the left and right buttons) you can re-size the screen larger or smaller by pressing and holding down the button and rotating the wheel button forwards or back at the same time.
• Using the 'view' option on your browser - Our fonts have been set to 10 point Arial throughout. You can adjust the size of the font to your own requirements. Usually this is done through the 'view' option on your browser, pulling down the menu and selecting 'fonts' and choosing one of the options.

If you are using Internet Explorer:

Go to the "View" menu - select "Text Size" and then choose "Larger" or "Largest"

If you are using Netscape Navigator:

Go to the "View" menu - select "Text Size" and then choose 120%, 150% or 200%

If you are using Mozilla or FireFox:

Go to the "View" menu - select "Increase Text Size" (You may have to do this a few times to find a size suitable for you)

Viewing Documents

Adobe Acrobat for PDF files - Some information on this website will not be presented as a web page. Instead, you will have to download a copy of a file onto you computer, that will be read by software other than your web browser, so that you can print or read it.

Throughout our website you may see the following symbol . Documents displaying the Adobe Acrobat icon are in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat reader software. This software is provided free and can be downloaded from the Adobe website to provide access to the PDF format.

Microsoft Excel files - Documents displaying the Microsoft Excel icon can be viewed using the Microsoft Excel reader software.

Microsoft Word files - Documents displaying the Microsoft Word icon can be viewed using the Microsoft Word reader software.

Both Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel reader software can be downloaded free from the Microsoft website.

Access keys

While browsing the site you will be able to use the keys below as shortcuts to important pages:

• 1 - Home page
• 2 - What's new
• 3 - Site map (available shortly)
• 4 - Search
• 5 - A-Z and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• 6 - Help
• 7 - Complaints procedure
• 8 - Terms and conditions
• 9 - Feedback form
• 0 - Access key details (this page)

The use of the above keys depends on your system and browser:

Windows Operating System

• Internet Explorer: Alt [key number] Enter
• Mozilla, Netscape, K-Meleon: Alt [key number]
• Opera: Shift + Esc [key number]

Macintosh Operating System

• Internet Explorer: Ctrl [key number] Enter
• Mozilla, Netscape: Ctrl [key number]
• Opera: Shift + Esc [key number]

Linux Mandrake Operating System

• Galeon/Mozilla: Alt [key number]

Internet Safety and Protection

Get Safe Online

Get Safe Online is a joint initiative between HM Government and the Serious Crime Agency (SOCA) and leading businesses, that aims to help individuals secure themselves against Internet threats.

The Get Safe Online site ( www.getsafeonline.org ) contains over 100 articles, providing simple, reliable and practical security advice on a range of topics, including:

• how to install anti-virus software
• make backups
• protect your privacy
• how to shop
• bank and use online auctions safely.

More information on Internet Safety.