William Eichler 05 September 2018

Councillor designs ‘virtual’ Facebook councillor

The Redditch councillor who set up David Cameron’s official Facebook page has designed his own chatbot service to help local people communicate with the council.

Cllr Mike Rouse designed the chatbot to manage issues such as missed bin collections, contact details, fly-tipping, road closures and requests for tree cutting.

The service will send automated response messages to constituents via the Facebook Messenger service, which will make it easier for people to contact the council but it will also save on printing and distributing leaflets.

‘Millions of people use Facebook as a free platform for communicating with colleagues, friends and family, so why not elected representatives?’ said Cllr Rouse.

‘Often councils have no way of broadcasting information to residents, without incurring substantial costs in delivery of leaflets and literature.

‘Facebook Messenger is an easy-access social media service, allowing constituents to raise issues and get the answers they need to requests.’

The chatbot — or ‘virtual councillor’ — follows a similar proposal by Cardiff Council and will also be used to source feedback on council performance.

Making payment processes smarter  image

Making payment processes smarter

It can be challenging to find the right software to streamline payment processes. Lewis McKenna-Crisp argues SmarterPay has the ideal solution for councils.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Director of Public Health

Royal Borough of Greenwich
Up to £131,210
The Public Health department is at the heart of the council’s business. Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recuriter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Head of Regeneration and Growth

Plymouth City Council
£68,387 - £74,411 (MFS and relocation available, pay award pending)
This is a unique opportunity to lead our award-winning development team and directly deliver hundreds of millions of pounds of projects. Plymouth, Devon
Recuriter: Plymouth City Council

Director of Adult Social Care

Wiltshire Council
£119,390 - £127,137
Join us as the Director of Adult Social Care and make a real difference to people’s lives. Wiltshire
Recuriter: Wiltshire Council

Assistant Director Planning, Performance & Engagement

East Sussex County Council
up to £97,700
With strong local communities, unspoilt countryside and vibrant coastal towns, East Sussex offers an exceptional quality of life to many. East Sussex
Recuriter: East Sussex County Council

Director of Finance & Commerce

Lancashire County Council
Up to £114,339
You will play a critical role in driving the organisation through complex change and innovation. Lancashire
Recuriter: Lancashire County Council
Linkedin Banner