New advanced system to help residents in Flintshire report potholes

A new advanced system is set to be introduced to help reduce the number of potholes in Flintshire.

At the start of the year, the deteriorating condition of the county’s roads was flagged as a ‘major risk’ with an estimated repair backlog worth around £40 million.

Flintshire Council is now planning to bring in new technology to allow residents to report potholes directly to the mobile devices of its highways inspectors.

The authority said it would enable repairs to be completed soon after they are reported.

Although it says the system will take time to implement, it will also allow people to report housing repairs, book appointments and pay their rent online.

Cabinet member for corporate management and assets, Cllr Billy Mullin (Lab), said: “As we move increasingly to online services, residents will benefit from being able to access services at a time to suit them.

“The Flintshire “My Account” already offers residents key pieces of information such as when their bins are collected and will grow over time as more and more services become available digitally.”

The council’s digital strategy will provide residents with the ability to raise requests, view planning applications and access information on bin collections online.

A portal will also be added for housing tenants from March, which will let them view their rent account and make payments, as well as check details of repairs.

Approximately £550,000 has been allocated to deliver the digital strategy, which will help to fund three new jobs.

However, the authority’s chief officer for governance said it would also make sure vulnerable groups who do not use the internet are not ignored.

In a report, Gareth Owens said: “Despite the increasing trend towards the online availability of services, we recognise that the people in society who do not have access to the internet are often the most vulnerable people in our communities.

“We need to ensure that the way we design digital services does not exclude them or make their lives even more difficult.

“In implementing our digital strategy, we will ensure that access to a service is maintained for people who do not have the skills or confidence to self-serve online.”

Cabinet members will receive an update on the digital strategy at their meeting on Tuesday.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).