The York Council has gone ahead and launched a replacement for the “report it” system which it abandoned 3 years ago. The older system had worked well for over 8 years but was, apparently, a victim of the move to West Offices.
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A Smarter York “App” was introduced but it lacked the functionality and flexibility of the old system. It gradually fell into disuse.
About 2 years ago the Council promised a system based on individual “customer accounts” and this was to have been launched in the spring.
However nothing materialised.
Now the Council has rushed out a minimalist reporting system for neighbourhood reports. It is intended to cover issues like street light faults, cleansing issues, footpath fouling, road/pavement defects, overgrown trees and problems with street furniture.
Unfortunately the system has not been properly tested with users and already a list of “bugs” has emerged.
These include:
- The system does not have an “App” which would allow it to run on smart phones.
- The system doesn’t provide a complainant with an Emailed (or any other copy) of the issue that they raised
- There is no way of associating the issue number with a specific complaint
- There is no publicly accessible record of issues raised. This facility was available on the Smarter York system and is fundamental to the “Fix My Street” system. Consequently the likelihood of duplicate reports increases.
- The type of issue that can be reported is limited. Problems with defects on play equipment aren’t covered, for example.
These issues need to be resolved before the system is promoted by the Council. In the meantime, “Fix My Street” offers users much greater functionality and reassurance.
Seems to be a case of good intentions but poor delivery by the York Council on this one