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1.Council name and capitals

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    Introduction

    When you’re writing on behalf of the council, it’s important to get our name and capital letters right. This keeps our communications clear, professional and consistent.

    How to write the council's name

    There are common mistakes when writing the council’s name and related terms. Use the guidance below to ensure consistency and accuracy:

    • we do say – East Riding of Yorkshire Council, this should not be shortened to East Riding Council
    • we don’t say – The East Riding of Yorkshire Council (‘the’ isn’t part of our name)
    • always capitalise East Riding of Yorkshire Council
    • you may use the abbreviation ERYC, but only sparingly – for example, where space is limited in graphics. If it must be used in a document, only use ERYC after the full name East Riding of Yorkshire Council has appeared earlier.

    Capitalisation

    Best practice limits the use of capitals to proper nouns, wherever possible, such as Goole, Susan Jones or Facebook.

    This means that capitals are not used for common nouns such as village, administrative officer, cabinet or council. However, title case can be used in headings and titles for adverts and artwork.

    This supports clearer, more user-friendly writing:

    • do not capitalise the word council when used on its own
    • do not capitalise the names of council directorates, service areas, team names, plans, policies or job titles
    • in the body of a sentence, job titles should always be in lower case, do not use initial capitals, for example Angela Dixon, principal marketing officer, economic development and communications
    • do not capitalise terms such as cabinet or planning committees
    • Councillor should be capitalised when used with a full name (for example Councillor John Smith OBE), but lowercase when referring to councillors in general
    • do capitalise acts of parliament such as, Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2024.
    Find out more about our eyecare voucher scheme

    Take regular screen breaks

    Make sure you take regular screen breaks to give your eyes the rest they need. Here are some tips to help you do this:

    1. Vary your tasks

    Try to plan and switch between screen and non-screen work so that you naturally get a break.

    2. Set a timer

    Take frequent, short breaks every hour with 5 to 10 minutes away from your screen, this could be to:

    • make a drink
    • do some stretches
    • go to the printer.

    3. Follow the 20-20-20 rule

    Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to give your eye muscles a rest.

    4. Remember to blink!

    Blinking is the eye’s way of getting the moisture it needs on its surface. It also cleans the surface of your eye of any debris and washes it out with fresh tears.

    If you're talking to someone or looking at objects in the distance, you normally blink 30 to 40 times per minute. But when you are reading on a screen, your blinking naturally slows to 3 to 5 times per minute.

    By making a conscious effort to blink more often, this will help to keep the surface of your eyes from drying out and also sharpen your vision.

    Make your display work for you

    1. Position your screen correctly

    If your screen isn’t set up correctly, you may be unnecessarily straining your eyes.

    Your eyes should be roughly the same height as the top of the screen. If you find yourself leaning forward to peer at the screen bring the screen closer and/or adjust the font size so it is easier for you to read.

    2. Reduce glare and reflections

    Make sure you have a clear view of the screen with no glare or reflections.

    If daylight is shining on your screen you could:

    • close the blinds
    • tilt the screen
    • reposition yourself and the screen.

    3. Check image quality

    Make sure that your screen display is clear and flicker free. You may need to adjust the colours, brightness or contrast to make it clearer.

    Any text should be crisp and readable. Try adjusting the zoom or making the text larger if you experience difficulty.

    Get your eyes checked regularly

    As a regular DSE user, you should get your eyes checked every 2 years.

    You can get a full eye examination at no cost to you. If you need glasses solely for the use of digital screen equipment, you can also get a contribution towards this.

    Employee confidential helpline

    0330 380 0658

    Speak to fully qualified counsellors and support specialists at any time, 365 days a year.

    Use code 107574 to access the online resources.

    More about the employee assistance programme

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