Site Change Log

What’s New

• Expanded Agency Directory: Now includes 40+ major UK agencies and their trading names, helping users identify who is contacting them faster.

What’s Improved

• Clearer Navigation: for easier browsing.

• Safety Button: The “Escape Website” button is now a discreet, floating pill in the top-right corner. Always accessible but no longer distracting.

What’s Fixed

• Search Speed: The agency search is now instant and includes a “Clear Search” button.

• Phone Links: Desktop users can now click-to-copy phone numbers (preventing accidental calls).

• Accessibility: Full screen-reader support added for search results and mobile menus.

Summary

We have moved beyond simple articles. The site is now a functional toolkit designed to help users take immediate action; whether that is identifying a scary letter or finding a food bank down the street. The entire user experience has been rebuilt to be faster, cleaner, and mobile-first.

New Feature: Local Help Search

• Postcode Search: Users can now enter their postcode to find help nearby.

• Category Filters: We verify and list local support for Food Banks, Housing/Shelter, Mental Health, and Debt Advice.

• Smart Sorting: Results are automatically sorted by distance, so the closest help is always at the top.

New Feature: Agency Directory

• Identify Who is Calling: A searchable database of over 60 UK debt agencies. Users can type in the name from a letter or text to see exactly who they are dealing with.

• Safety Checks: We now verify agency websites and phone numbers against our records. If a number doesn’t match or a site is offline, we warn the user immediately.

• Clear Definitions: We clearly tag companies as “Debt Collectors” vs “Bailiffs”, so users know their rights instantly.

UX/UI Overhaul

• Mobile-First Design: The navigation, search bars, and help tools are now optimised for thumbs, making the site easy to use on a phone during a stressful moment.

• Safety Bar: A permanent, non-intrusive “Exit Site” button is fixed to the top of the screen for users who need to leave quickly for privacy.

• Simplified Navigation: We stripped out the clutter. The menu is now focused purely on getting answers (“Common Questions”) or finding tools (“Agency Search”).

These notes detail the major changes and stability improvements introduced to the application.

1. User Experience & Navigation Overhaul

• The entire application header and layout have been restructured to prioritize urgent user action, improve mobile accessibility, and ensure compliance.

• Fixed Overlap Issue: Resolved a bug causing the Quick Exit button to overlap the main navigation links on high-resolution (Retina) displays. A generous exclusion zone has been implemented on desktop to ensure full clearance.

• Mobile Menu Revamp: The mobile navigation now uses a Hamburger Menu to house secondary links (Glossary, About, Contact). The primary Call-to-Action (CTA) “Help” remains visible outside the menu for immediate access.

• Menu Drawer Stability: The mobile menu drawer now reliably occupies the full height of the viewport minus the fixed header/banner content, eliminating scrolling issues and providing a smooth, accessible experience.

• Header Link Update: The generic “Resources” link has been renamed to “Core Services” to more accurately reflect that the page links to primary, trusted, regulated organisations.

• Footer Links Update: All footer navigation links have been updated to ensure they correctly link to their respective sections on the appropriate target pages (e.g., hash links).

2. Data Integrity & Compliance

• Crucial updates have been made to the data processing pipeline and the user interface to ensure clarity regarding data accuracy and scope.

• Strict Data Filtering: The back-end data processing script has been updated to employ strict keyword filtering. This ensures that only organisations providing highly specific, direct support (e.g., “debt advice,” “food bank”) are included, eliminating irrelevant results like general grants, loans, or pensions.

• New Category Added: The data pipeline now includes and classifies a new category: “Mental Health Support,” enabling the fourth key button on the main search page.

• Data Accuracy Disclaimer: A prominent, mandatory warning banner has been added to the top of the layout and the main search page, clearly stating that we do not offer advice and cannot guarantee the real-time accuracy of listed organisations.

• Copy Update: All instances of “charity” in the search results and pages have been updated to the more inclusive term “organisation,” reflecting the diverse regulatory bodies included in the data set.

3. Application Stability

• Automated Data Management: The data script now supports automated file management, including moving the final file to the project’s data directory and creating a timestamped backup of the previous data file before replacement.

• Coordinate Swap Fix: Implemented a robust heuristic check within the Haversine distance calculation to correctly interpret and swap geocoded latitude/longitude coordinates, ensuring accurate distance calculation for local searches.

Small update to the release page and the mechanics which make it work.

The “Resources” ARIA label was incorrect on the link. This has now been updated.

Updated spacing and margins to:

• Index page

• Footer

• Updated spacing and margins across the site to make it easier to read text.

Features & Enhancements

• Transparency: Implemented a new, live /changelog page linked in the footer. This page automatically pulls and displays official GitHub release versions for full transparency on site maintenance.

• Analytics Migration: Replaced the legacy Google Analytics 4 (GA4) system with Umami Analytics, a dedicated cookieless and privacy-focused tracking tool. This enhances user anonymity and reduces data collection.

Compliance & Legal Updates

• Consent Integration: The Umami script is now fully managed by Cloudflare Zaraz, ensuring it only loads after the user explicitly grants consent for Analytics.

• Policy Update: Updated the Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy to accurately reflect the removal of GA4 and the use of cookieless Umami Analytics.

v1.0.0: Initial Public Release

This marks the official launch of version 1 of the National Debt Service website. This version represents the site as it transitioned to new ownership with a dedicated focus on independent signposting to free, regulated UK support.

Key Cumulative Features:

• New Direction: Full re-design and re-focus to become an independent, non-commercial signposting service.

• Compliance: Implementation of the Quick Exit button and clear non-advice disclaimers across the site.

• Regional Support: Clear separation of free debt advice services by UK country (England & Wales, Scotland, NI).

• Transparency: Hardcoded legal disclaimers and privacy notices added to the footer and main pages.