Residents have it mapped thanks to new feature

By KrisK • October 29th, 2009

The first of several enhancements planned for Birmingham City Council’s new website has launched.

All visitors to www.birmingham.gov.uk can now use My Local Information to easily identify and locate council services of interest to them across the city.

This new feature has been developed using a Geographical Information Solution (GIS) which uses mapping technology to display information based on the user’s chosen location.

Initially this will help users locate useful information such as the nearest schools, recycling banks, museums, neighbourhood offices and libraries, with more options set to come soon.

Forming part of the council’s Excellence in Information Management (EIM) and Customer First Business Transformation programmes, the new website and the GIS solution have been designed as part of the plan to improve the way in which people can communicate with the authority and access its services.

Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “This is an important stage in the development of our new website, as the new feature is offering something to citizens that we haven’t been able to provide before.

“The website, when it recently launched, provided us with a platform for these types of improvements and there are many more set to come on stream in the next few months.

“We are determined to improve the quality of customer service that the council offers – this is part of our effort to do just that.”

My Local Information is available by visiting http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/mylocalinformation

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Business Transformation is Birmingham City Council’s ambitious nine-strand programme which aims to modernise and enhance services delivered across the whole authority to citizens. It is projected that the programme will realise benefits of around £1.5billion over the ten years to 2016.

2. Service Birmingham is a strategic partnership between Birmingham City Council and Capita which will support a transformation in the way the council works; improving services and contributing to its efficiency agenda. This strategic partnership forms part of the council’s objective to find better and more innovative ways of delivering services for the benefit of employees and citizens. The principle of this joint venture focuses on the provision of cost effective, sector leading, ICT services and in supporting the council in achieving its business transformation objectives.

3. Excellence in Information Management is one of nine programmes which make up Birmingham City Council’s ambitious Business Transformation programme. EIM aims to improving the way that the council creates, manages and uses its wealth of information. It will remove inefficiencies and improve service delivery. Investment costs are projected at £26.6 million over 10 years, with agreed cashable benefits of £54.1 million from Children, Young People and Families and Housing, with potential further cashable benefits of £14.6m that are in the process of evaluation.

4. Customer First is one of nine programmes which make up Birmingham City Council’s ambitious Business Transformation programme, and will help deliver a range of improvements giving residents world-class standards of customer service. As part of the wider package, Customer First will provide simpler and easier ways of accessing council services, a single ‘0121’ telephone number to access all council services, a brand new user-friendly city council web site personalised for customers. Increased customer satisfaction is a key driver behind the programme.

For further information contact Kris Kowalewski on 0121 303 3621