West Lothian council launches app

West Lothian council has launched a free app that provides news, events, alerts and information on council services for residents. The app, which is for iPhones, iPads and iPods and can be downloaded from Apple's App Store. It also includes addresses, contact details and opening times for council services. Residents will also be able contact the council via email using the app. West Lothian said it is one of the first council's in the country to launch its own app specifically for Apple devices. Graham Hope, chief executive of West Lothian, said: "We have taken the first step by developing the App for Apple devices as almost three times as many people are using iPhones, iPads or iPods than other devices to access our website. "This new service is the latest online development and follows the introduction of social media websites Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and Flickr which have proved to be very popular, and the new eNews Service which provides regular council information and alerts. It is our intention to continue to develop this service in the future." This article is published by Guardian Professional. For weekly updates on news, debate and best practice on public sector IT, join the Government Computing Network here.