Moray Connected: 2018 Year in Review
2018 was a busy year for digital services. The Moray Connected (Digital Services) scheme saw more and more services rolled out online, offering convenient 24/7 access from the comfort of your own home.
The biggest impact of this was in schools, with online payments and registrations joining the range of digital services on offer. Payments for school meals started rolling out in August, and schools are also now able to offer online payment for uniform sweatshirts, trips, and curriculum-based activities – such as paying for Home Economics materials – as well. Registration also went fully online for the first time last year: parents no longer had to visit their child’s school in person during opening hours to register their children, saving journeys and time. In addition, placing requests could also be done online for those parents who wish their child(ren) to attend a school outside of their catchment area. Not to miss the wee ones out, nursery registration for Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) places can now be done online too! With all of these changes, the uptake says it all: with half of our primary schools reporting a 80% or greater uptake of online school meal payment, and 26% of all 2019 P1 registrations completed online, that’s an A+ for everyone.
Need to change your address for Council Tax? No problem – that can be done online now too, whether you’re waiting for the removals van or enjoying your first cuppa in the new place. The registrar’s office went digital, too – you can now order copies of birth, death and marriage certificates online if they got lost in the move, or if you’re jetting off for some summer sun and need a copy for your passport!
All of these services can be managed through your myaccount. Registrations for this one-stop service saw a huge boost in 2018, with over 5,000 new accounts created last year – that’s nearly 14 Moray residents signing up every day! Using myaccount makes it easier for you to access our services, with all of your details remembered in one place so you don’t have to fill them in again each time you need to complete a form. If you haven’t signed up for this time-saving account yet, click here to register today.
The updates will keep on coming throughout 2019 – next up, a digital leisure booking process. You can already book your favourite fitness classes online at the Keith Leisure Centre, so be sure to check back soon to find out when you can book at our centres across Moray.