Frequently Asked Questions

What is FixMyStreet?
FixMyStreet is a site to help people report, view, or discuss local problems they’ve found to their local council by simply locating them on a map. It launched on Australia Day 2013.
What sort of problems should I report with FixMyStreet?
FixMyStreet is primarily for reporting things which are broken or dirty or damaged or dumped, and need fixing, cleaning or clearing, such as:
  • Potholes
  • Abandoned vehicles
  • Dog Fouling
  • Graffiti
  • Illegal dumping or litter
  • Streetcleaning, such as broken glass
  • Unlit street lights
  • Potholes
What isn’t FixMyStreet for?
FixMyStreet is not a way of getting in touch with your council for all issues – please use FixMyStreet only for problems such as the above. We often route problem reports via cleansing services or roads and so using FixMyStreet for other matters may result in a delay in your report getting to the right department. You will need to contact your council directly for problems such as:
  • Anti-social behaviour
  • Any urgent or emergency problems
  • Noise pollution or barking dogs
  • Fires and smoke/smell pollution
  • Missing wheelie bins or recycling boxes or missed rubbish collections
  • Proposals for speed bumps/ CCTV/ pedestrian crossings/ new road layouts/ etc.
  • Complaining about your neighbours
  • Complaining about the council
  • Joy riding, drug taking, animal cruelty, or other criminal activity

Councils often have direct hotlines for these sorts of issues.

How do I use the site?
After entering a postcode or location, you are presented with a map of that area. You can view problems already reported in that area, or report ones of your own simply by clicking on the map at the location of the problem.
How are the problems solved?
They are reported to the relevant council by email. The council can then resolve the problem the way they normally would. Alternatively, you can discuss the problem on the website with others, and then together lobby the council to fix it, or fix it directly yourselves.
Is it free?
The site is free to use, yes. FixMyStreet is run by a registered charity, though, so if you want to support us, please do.
Can I use FixMyStreet on my mobile?
Yes, FixMyStreet has a responsive theme so it adjusts to fit nicely on a smartphone screen!

Practical Questions

I’m from a council, where do you send the reports?
You can either leave a test report or contact us to find out where reports go at the moment. Also contact us to update the address or addresses we use.
I’m from a council, can we have FixMyStreet on our website?
Yes you can! We offer branded, hosted versions of FixMyStreet for local council websites. Full details.
Do you remove silly or illegal content?
FixMyStreet is not responsible for the content and accuracy of material submitted by its users. We reserve the right to edit or remove any problems or updates which we consider to be inappropriate upon being informed by a user of the site.
Why can’t I zoom out more on the reporting map?
We want to keep FixMyStreet locally focused, so restrict the ability to move radically between areas. The map on Your Reports will let you see all the reports you’ve made, wherever they are. If you’re from the council then the emailed version of the problem report also contains the closest road and postcode to the pin on the map.
This site is great – why aren’t you better publicised?
As a tiny charity we simply don’t have a publicity budget, and we rely on word of mouth to advertise the site. Please tell your friends about us on the web or in your local area, and why not write to your local paper to let them know about us?

Privacy Questions

Who gets to see my email address?
If you submit a problem, we pass on your details, and details of the problem, to the council contact or contacts responsible for the area where you located the problem. Other than the council, who obviously get your email address, only people we authorise to view the FixMyStreet administration interface will be able to see your email address and they will never use it for anything other than to help administer FixMyStreet. Similarly with email addresses from updates. We will never give or sell your email address to anyone else, unless we are obliged to by law. Your name will not be published anywhere unless you let us.
Will you send nasty, brutish spam to my email address?
Never. We will email you if someone leaves an update on a problem you’ve reported, and send you a questionnaire email four weeks after you submit a problem, asking for a status update; we’ll only ever send you emails in relation to your problem or to provide you with updates about our services.

Organisation Questions

Who built FixMyStreet?
This site was built by Open Local thanks to the work done in the UK by mySociety, in conjunction with the Young Foundation. FixMyStreet is the project of a registered charity which has grown out of the community of volunteers who built sites like TwoBobsWorth.org.au. Open Local can be contacted by email at hello@openlocal.org.au, or by post at:
Open Local
PO Box 3184
PARRAMATTA NSW 2124
Do you need any help with the project?
Yes, we can use help in all sorts of ways, technical or non-technical. Please see our Supporters page.
I’d like a site like this for my own location/ where’s the "source code" to this site?
The software behind this site is open source, and available to you mainly under the GNU Affero GPL software license. You can download the source code and help develop it. You’re welcome to use it in your own projects, although you must also make available the source code to any such projects. Fiksgatami is an example of the code being used in a Norwegian version of this site.
I’d prefer code in a different language?
VisibleGovernment.ca wrote their own code for http://www.fixmystreet.ca/, which is written in GeoDjango and available under an MIT licence at github. Or FixMyStreet.org.nz is written in Drupal.

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