PARISH councillors are to unveil a new website they hope will be the heart of Blackbird Leys.

Features on the website blackbirdleys.net are to set to include a forum, community information, events, news and contact details for shops, charities, organisations and services.

There will also be council minutes, profiles of parish councillors and contact details, as well as a history of the estate and a list of local services.

It will be the third relaunch of the site in eight years. The most recent minutes on blackbirdleys.com, the current site, only run to February 2009.

Former parish council chairman Brian Lester said the previous sites had failed as councillors had not updated the site regularly and could not keep up with changes in technology.

He is confident the new website will attract thousands of hits every week.

Community groups will be able to add information about their activities.

Mr Lester said: “It will succeed. The Internet is very important to people in Blackbird Leys.

“There will be a lot of changes coming up with the Government spending review and the people will need the Internet even more to find out about things like their benefits and how they will change.”

The council has spent £6 changing the domain name, and both Mr Lester and clerk Malcolm Anderson are undergoing £300 of training to so they can run the site properly.

They will also spend £300 redesigning the site.

Mr Lester hopes to have the new website up and running in the next few months.

He rejoined the council earlier this year after a three-year break.

Mr Lester said: “When I came back on the council I decided to revitalise it.

“My vision is that people will still be able to update their web page.

“We are hoping to include links to different Government webistes, the city council, police, MPs, pharmacies, schools as well as health centres and hospitals.

“It was getting 1,000 hits plus in the old days.

“We definitely want to increase that because the website will be there to provide a service to the people.”

Parish councillors meet at Blackbird Leys Community Centre in Blackbird Leys Road on the last Tuesday of every month at 7pm.

You can now add your news to our website at oxfordmail. co.uk/news/yournews