Dear Sir or Madam,

Can you please detail, for each year since your public website was
launched, how much money has been spent on creating, developing,
and running it.

Where possible, please break these costs out by function (for
example, development, design, updates, changes, hosting,
co-location, domain registration, licensing etc). Where the costs
have been incurred with external providers, please list the company
in question. For internal staff time, if this is not recorded
and/or charged explicitly, please provide estimates based on
salary/overheads of people involved.

Yours faithfully,

Nick

Dear Nick

Thank you for your email dated 8 July 2008 requesting information on
Belfast City Council's expenditure on its public website since it was
launched.

The council's public website was launched in 1996. I must, however,
advise you that the council does not hold any information relating to
expenditure on its public website for the period prior to the start of
the financial year 1998 - 99.

The council has decided that the information it does hold relating to
your request can be disclosed and, accordingly, it is provided in the
attached document. This information covers the period from the
financial year 1998 - 99 to date, and it is arranged by financial year.
The expenditure incurred in each financial year is, where applicable,
divided into the following categories, namely:

* estimated staff costs;
* web technology/software;
* website content review;
* training;
* other applications;
* infrastructure; and
* research.

Where applicable, the estimated staff costs have been broken down to
show the expenditure incurred in respect of the council's IT staff and
web editorial staff respectively. I must emphasise that many of the
products (marked * on the attached document) listed under the web
technology/software and training categories were used for other purposes
as well as in connection with the public website. The figure given for
expenditure on each of these products is the total cost incurred as it
is not possible for the council to calculate the actual, or provide an
estimate of the, amount spent on the public website specifically. Where
expenditure was incurred in respect of external providers, the name of
the company concerned is included.

If you are dissatisfied with how the council handled your request for
information, you have the right to request that the Council formally
review this decision. If you wish to do so, please write to the Records
Manager, Belfast City Council, Adelaide Exchange, 24-26 Adelaide Street,
Belfast, BT2 8GD.

Should you remain dissatisfied following the council's internal review,
you can seek an independent review from the Information Commissioner.
Requests for an independent review should be made in writing to: The
Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF. However I would advise you that the Information
Commissioner has indicated that a review will not be undertaken unless
the council has first had an opportunity to reconsider its decision.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact me.

Yours sincerely

Caroline

Caroline Dixon

Publications Manager

Corporate Communications

Belfast City Council

Adelaide Exchange

24-26 Adelaide Street

Belfast

BT2 8GD

[email address]

Tel: 028 9091 8766

www.belfastcity.gov.uk

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