Labour-run Westminster City Council has launched a new Report It tool which makes it faster and easier for residents, businesses and visitors to report street-based issues to the council.
The previous Report It was hard to use, clunky and used outdated technology, and Labour promised to improve it if elected. This has now been completed and the service is available for residents, business and visitors to use.
- Cutting edge technology – The use of Ai-supported features including image recognition, chatbot and improved mapping.
- Faster reporting – The time it takes to report an issue has halved to an average of 88 seconds, with some issues now taking less than a minute to report
- Easier reporting – Over 24,000 new users have used to tool since it started being rolled out last year.
- Improved maps and forms – A clear layout and simple forms, and improved maps.
- Designed with residents – Designed using input from 1,000 residents and businesses.
- More accessible – Accessibility features developed with residents and businesses
- Easier to navigate – Categorisation and quick navigation to the right reporting option
The new Report It was co-designed with over 1000 residents and businesses, making it quicker and easier to report issues such as dumped dockless bikes, potholes, fly tipping, graffiti, broken streetlights, noise concerns and dog fouling. Delivering on the manifestk pledge to create a better reporting service, Report it now reflects what local communities said mattered most: simplicity, accessibility and speed.
The digital tool allows residents, businesses and visitors to report a wider scope of common street-based issues straight from their mobile phone. Using AI technology, users can now upload an image and have the system automatically recognise the type of issue and location, so less manual input is needed. Combined with simpler maps, redesigned forms, and a built-in chatbot, it now takes users an average of just 88 seconds, 60 seconds in some cases, to submit a report. This has cut the time to log an issue by almost half the previous time. More than 24,000 users who had never reported an on-street issue before, have used the tool since it was made available earlier this year, demonstrating its intuitiveness and ease of use.
Cllr Concia Albert, Cabinet Member for Communities at Westminster City Council, said:
“We’ve been working hard on this new and improved Report It service over the past year to make it quicker and easier for people to report issues on Westminster’s streets, delivering on a key Fairer Westminster commitment which has been supported by practical feedback from local residents and businesses.
“Incorporating the fast-paced and ever-changing world of AI technology, these new features of the Report it tool make it easier for people to highlight issues on the go as they can complete a report in moments. As a result, we’ve cut the time it takes to report simple issues to us, ensuring concerns are addressed quickly and efficiently. It means we can take swift action, helping make our service more responsive so that it delivers for our communities.”
Westminster City Council has made the full Report It service available as it continues its recovery from the recent cyber incident, which required some online services to be taken offline as a precaution.
All reporting categories and features are available for residents, businesses and visitors. The council is monitoring the tool closely during this restoration period to ensure the service operates smoothly.
Further updates are planned, including new housing estate reporting options and report status updates.