Tidy BS5: reporting online
Everywhere one travels in the United Kingdom, the common perception of residents is that their council is useless and costs too much.
Bristol is no exception to this commonly accepted opinion of local authorities.
In the past your correspondent has been no stranger to criticising Bristol City Council. However, there is one aspect of its operations where praise is due; and that’s its online presence. Compared with some local authority websites I have visited, Bristol City Council’s ranks amongst the best in my opinion. Indeed this blog has in the past praised Know Your Place, where one can get an intimate knowledge of the city and its long, proud history (posts passim). The open data section is worth a browse too.
This amazingly useful online presence is also apparent if one is concerned with street care and cleaning in Bristol. This is where one can report and obtain information on all kinds of problems encountered in urban steets.
The following can all be reported online:
- Abandoned vehicles;
- Removing dead animals from the street;
- Dog & animal fouling;
- Drug & sex-related litter (i.e. needles, syringes, condoms);
- Fly-posting and graffiti;
- Fly-tipping;
- Grass cutting (on council-owned land);
- Litter and overflowing litter bins;
- Street & road problems, i.e. blocked/smelly road drains, damaged road bollards, damaged kerbs or pavements, noisy or faulty manhole covers/potholes, damaged bus stop or timetable information and trees and hedges causing an obstruction on the highway.
Reporting road and cleaning problems online is by far the most convenient way of letting the council know of any problems encountered and as such can help to expedite their remedying, so get reporting. Most problems seem to be resolved within the promised 2 working days, although I must point out to any passing councillors and/or BCC officers that the system does occasionally break down.
