Council moves customer service online

Tuesday, 4 December 2018

In the biggest breakthrough for customer service since the amalgamation, Inner West Council has introduced a new online customer service system that allows residents to make and track requests with their mobile phone, PC or device.

New live, online financial and capital works reporting is also now available on the website making Council more accountable than ever before for project management and the expenditure ratepayers’ money. Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the innovations would make Council more responsive and accountable to the community.

“From now on, people will be able to log any service request though their phone, PC or device and track where it is up to and receive a notice when works are complete,” Mayor Byrne said.

“Having promised to deliver this prior to the election I am very pleased to see it going live, just over a year since being elected. This new, modern system will make Council more responsive and accountable to the community.

“While we will always maintain our service centres, local people shouldn’t have to drive to Council or wait on the phone to report a pothole or ask a question - and now they won’t have to.

“The truth is that the amalgamation created new problems and confusion in customer service, rather than the improvements the NSW Government promised.

“Having one, public and transparent online system, instead of three internal databases, will transform our customer service and make it easier to deal with Council,” Mayor Byrne said.

The online service request is available from Council’s homepage www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au. Residents just need to click on the “Report an issue” link in the “I want to” section.

The new live financial reporting, together with capital works monthly reporting, which Council has been trialing since earlier this year, provides unprecedented access to Council budgets and decision-making.

The page shows both expenses and incomes, how those figures stack up against the budget for the month and the financial year, and the total of the budget.

“Our citizens want to know how we allocate funds, the real cost of maintaining our assets, how much we spend on services and infrastructure, and whether we are over budget anywhere,” Mayor Byrne said.

“The final column is a ‘Commentary’ in plain English, with information such as how much revenue has been obtained from bus shelter advertising, or how much a project has spent on casual staff.

“And the capital works monthly reporting is a snapshot of our current capital works – where it’s at, whether it’s ahead or behind schedule, or ahead or behind budget,” Mayor Byrne said.

Council is committed to introducing new technologies that increase efficiencies and improve transparency and accountability.

The next initiative, due for implementation next year, will allow all rates and all other payments to be made online.

Council’s live financial and capital works reporting can be found at www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/monthly-reporting

For further information, please contact Elizabeth Heath | Media and Communications Coordinator   P: +61 2 9392 5334 | E: elizabeth.heath@innerwest.nsw.gov.au