Case study: Re-thinking noise and nuisance complaints in local government
Background
- Local government, housing associations, airports, TfL, Highways England and other organisations handle large volumes of noise and nuisance complaints yearly.
- Councils in the UK receive 577k complaints each year. Local governments have begun looking at ways to manage the process better and engage with the complainant more efficiently.
- DMRC responded to a request from a local government for a digital solution to manage nuisance complaints by citizens.
Approach
- Taking a citizen-focused approach, we engaged with a local authority to re-design the noise complaint procedure.
- Ease of use and unbiased reporting were essential features and areas of focus.
- We used a data-driven approach to undertake self-administered noise assessments through mobile phones, giving residence and complainants the ability to submit audit recordings to report noise complaints via a mobile app.
- We designed an integrated app and case management system to submit sound clips and other evidence.
- The system automatically assesses the sound clips to determine whether the nuisance complaint is justified before officers are engaged.
Benefits
- The case management system makes the noise complaint process more efficient by automating the initial assessment of complaints, removing the need for officers to make site visits.
- It reduces operating costs for organisations and enables more targeted investigations of nuisances using the in-built case management system.
- Additionally, the system enables authorities to communicate with complainants more directly, providing a better user experience.
