Medway Council: Transforming nuisance vehicle reporting, a resident-centred approach

Many councils’ residents still struggle with complex web forms and difficult-to-follow processes when reporting specific vehicle issues, such as nuisance vehicles. Residents are expected to know the exact criteria to submit the correct form, often leading to confusion and misdirected reports. To make matters worse, once a report is submitted, there is no way for residents to track progress or receive updates, resulting in duplicate reports, inefficiencies, and frustration for both residents and council teams.

Medway Council faced this exact challenge and knew they needed to simplify the process. To tackle this issue, the council’s service design team took a resident-first approach, engaging with internal stakeholders and the community through service design workshops to fully understand their needs. The end goal was to simplify the process. This allowed residents to easily report any problem vehicle without needing in-depth knowledge of parking regulations or vehicle status criteria.

Using the Jadu Digital Platform, Medway developed a new ‘Report a Nuisance Vehicle’ process, making it as simple and intuitive as possible. 

Key features of the new process include:

• Map pin drop functionality: residents can simply drop a pin on a map to indicate the vehicle’s location.
• DVLA API integration: by entering a vehicle’s registration, all relevant details are pulled automatically, removing the need for manual input.
• Automated checks & notifications: once the vehicle is added, automated checks happen. If a vehicle’s tax has expired by more than two months, it is classified as untaxed, triggering an automatic notification to the DVLA, eliminating the need for further action from the reporting resident.
• Dynamic form logic: if the vehicle is taxed, the form guides residents through a series of structured questions to determine whether it’s illegally parked or abandoned, ensuring all reports reach the correct team.
• Interactive report map: All reports by residents are now visible on an interactive map, allowing residents to subscribe to updates, and reducing duplicate submissions and unnecessary calls to the contact centre.

The impact of this service design transformation has been significant for Medway Council and its residents. The new system has drastically improved efficiency, reduced manual processing by over 75%, and increased transparency to residents by ensuring that they receive updates on cases they’ve submitted. It also reduces duplication, meaning fewer people need to take the time to submit issues. In addition, internal reporting statistics at the council are more accurate, and residents are well-received of the transparency about the council's work.

This project showcases how digital innovation, user research and user testing can dramatically improve public services whilst enhancing the resident experience.

Learn More at Medway’s Connect Day:

Join us at Medway’s Connect Day, where the Medway Digital team will showcase this new process and other innovative solutions that are making a real impact to help them achieve £34 million in savings in 2024/2025. They will also discuss the ambitious Medway 2.0 transformation programme and how it helps drive smarter, more efficient services through citizen-centred service design, automation, and the power of Jadu Connect.