Smart city technology aimed at improving key services like car parking, waste collection in some remote areas and traffic management is on its way to Swansea in the months and years ahead.
Technology has already been helping the council improve its services in a range of different areas like litter bin collection in remote areas of the Gower, water safety and customer contact and now it’s looking at how it can go further in a new phase of its digital transformation plans.
Councillor Andrea Williams, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Service Transformation, said: “We’re already seeing the benefits of using technology to improve what we do. The next step is to make sure we build on this work, so services are modern, accessible and reliable for the people of Swansea.”
A report to the council’s Cabinet on February 19 highlights how phase one of the council’s Digital Transformation Plan has already delivered a range of improvements.
New automated processes now speed up common tasks such as bulky waste and fly tipping reports.
Smart City sensor technology is improving safety and helping monitor litter bins in remote areas, visitor numbers and environmental conditions, while digital tools in schools are providing quicker access to accurate information.
Better customer access is at the heart of the transformation, with residents already seeing major improvements in how calls and online requests are handled.
New figures show that abandoned calls in the council’s corporate contact centre fell to just over 7% in January, down from previous levels of 30-40%.
Across the wider organisation, abandoned calls have also reduced significantly, dropping from historic levels of 40-50% to just over 14%. These improvements follow the rollout of a new phone system and focused work to make it quicker and simpler for people to contact the council.
Cabinet will now consider phase two of the Digital Transformation Programme, which aims to build on this progress and further expand access to modern, reliable services in line with the council’s vision of making life easier and more convenient for residents.
This includes extending Smart City technology into areas such as waste, parking, traffic and street lighting, alongside digital transformation in Building Services and Domestic Waste to cut paperwork and speed up processes.
Councillor Williams said: “The programme is about strengthening the services that people rely on every day. We want residents to have confidence that, whether they’re reporting an issue, checking progress online or calling us for support, they’ll get a consistent and reliable service. It’s all part of our commitment to making sure Swansea’s services keep pace with modern expectations and continue improving year after year.”
