A complete digital rebrand is being considered by Dumfries and Galloway Council amid complaints about its embarrassing email addresses.
The local authority’s website address and tagline for emails has been shortened from Dumfries and Galloway to ‘dumgal.gov.uk’.
This abbreviated term saves time typing on the keyboard, but it doesn’t save the blushes of some female staff or councillors.
Women workers have been left red-faced when dealing with professional phone calls and telling people that their email address is their name followed by ‘dum gal’.
The email issue has bothered Mid Galloway and Wigtown West Councillor Katie Hagmann, who called for changes to be made at the council’s economy and resources committee on Tuesday.
She said: “As a woman within Dumfries and Galloway Council, it’s my personal irk that all our personal email addresses are at ‘dumgal.gov.uk’.
“I’m very much aware that this is not just my own personal viewpoint on this. I have spoken with staff and other female colleagues who don’t particularly enjoy having to say ‘dum gal’ all the time when passing back your email address.
“It’s something I’ve raised before and will continue to raise.”
She added: “If there’s any potential for updating our email address and corporate brand, please could that be considered?”
Committee chairman, councillor Rob Davidson, said: “It is a fair point. I hadn’t realised it until a colleague I was giving an email address to burst out laughing and asked if I was serious.”
Mike Shepley, the council’s head of people and transformation, said: “Councillor Hagmann – I acknowledge the point that you raised.
“Regarding our communication and marketing work, I intend to bring a report to this committee in February with regards to that piece of work and a series of proposals.
“We have undertaken a piece of work earlier this year with external suppport and I have just recruited an interim expert in this area as well.”
Annandale North Councillor Doug Fairbairn said: “Could we also look at rebranding the website and making it more accessible? Because it is a bit confusing.”
Mike Shepley replied: “There is a piece of work that has commenced already and will be placed in the same report with regards to the website.”
