Do you need a .gov.uk domain?
Added at 14:30 on 29 June 2024
The UK government has recently issued a number of statements and papers recommending (but stopping short of requiring) that parish and community councils switch to using .gov.uk domains. The reasons they give for this recommendation seem extremely thin to us.
The idea that a .gov.uk (or .gov.scot, .gov.wales) domain suffix is seen as more trustworthy than for example a .org.uk domain is very questionable. The single real benefit from our point of view is that if you forget to renew your registration of a .gov.uk domain, it's not going to get registered by someone else. However, that's a very small, almost hypothetical benefit at best.
The government has provided some money to a limited number of councils for this, but it looks likely to be a small one-off payment.
The downside of using/switching to a .gov.uk domain is clear. It will almost certainly cost you around £100 more per year than (eg) a .org.uk. This seems like a waste of public money better used elsewhere.