Frequently Asked Questions
- What is this site?
- FixMybcp enables local communities to collaborate in identifying, reporting, monitoring and resolving local community issues within their ward. Some wards may decide to resolve the issues themselves, or to escalate them to BCP Council for resolution. We aim to make issue reporting easy, accessible, simple and transparent for all concerned.
- Is this site operated by BCP Council?
- No, it is managed by local charities on behalf of the community, who may opt to coordinate a resolution themselves. We escalate more serious issues to the Council that can not be solved by the community or issues that are escalated.
- How do I make a report?
- By following these easy steps:
- 1 - Start at the homepage and type in your postcode or a place name. Not sure where you are? Pick ‘use my location’.
- 2 - Put the pin in the map to show exactly where the problem is, and type in a description of the issue. Then send.
- 3 - Check your email inbox for our confirmation mail, click on the link, and job done.
- note: If the problem is already reported and open you can add an update. If the issue has been closed but unresolved, you can reopen the issue again. Please do not open a second issue if one is already open.
- What sort of problems should I report with FixMybcp?
- Most issues that affect the community can be reported via FixMybcp;
examples are things which are broken or dirty or damaged or dumped, and need fixing, cleaning
or clearing, such as:
- Abandoned vehicles
- Dog Fouling
- Flyposting or graffiti
- Flytipping or litter
- Streetcleaning, such as broken glass in a cycle lane
- Unlit lampposts
- Potholes
- What shouldn't I report?
- Please see our Conditions of Use for things you shouldn’t report, or include in your report.
Urgent Issues: For problems that might put people in immediate danger, like gas leaks or falling trees, please contact the Council or the appropriate utility company or emergency service directly – by phone if possible. We often route problem reports via cleansing services or highways maintenance departments, so using FixMyBCP for urgent matters may result in a delay in your report getting to the right department.
Non-physical things: For issues such as noise pollution, barking dogs, fires, missing wheelie bins or missed rubbish collections, proposals for speed bumps or pedestrian crossings, or complaining about the council itself, please contact the council directly. - What isn’t FixMybcp for?
- FixMybcp is not a way of getting in touch with BCP Council
authority for all issues – please use this site only for problems
such as the above. We often route problem reports via cleansing services or
highways and so using this site for other matters may result in a delay in
your report getting to the right department.
You will need to contact your authority 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 authority
- Joy riding, drug taking, animal cruelty, or other criminal activity
There are direct hotlines for these sorts of urgent issues.
- Are reports public?
- Putting your reports online has several benefits. Others can quickly see what has already been reported, so it prevents the council from having to deal with duplicates. It also creates a snapshot for local communities, so it's easy to see what the common problems are in a given area, and how quickly they get fixed. Other local residents can browse, read and comment on problems – and perhaps even offer a solution.
- Why do I have to give my name and an email address?
- For a few reasons: firstly, we need your email address so that the council can get back to you.
Also, messages sent via FixMyBCP go into council systems. In most cases a full name is a mandatory field, and your report may be rejected without it.
Finally, we find that when users are asked to provide contact details, the tone of their correspondence tends to be more constructive and less abusive.
We don't publish your email address, and you can opt to submit your report anonymously – just uncheck the ‘show my name publicly’ box on submission.
This will mean that your name is not displayed on the FixMyBCP website, although it is still sent to the council.
If you want to anonymise a report you made in the past, sign in to your account (see below for how to register) and you'll see a ‘Hide your name?’ option on the report. - Do I need to register with FixMyBCP to use it?
- No – you can send a report without registering. When you submit your report, we'll send you an email with a confirmation link.
If you use FixMyBCP a lot, you can avoid this step by creating an account. Once you've signed in, your reports will be sent as soon as you click 'submit'.
You'll also be able to see all previous reports you've made on one page. - What are alerts?
- FixMyBCP lets you sign up to receive an email every time someone reports a problem in your chosen area. This is a free service.
- Do I need to register with FixMyBCP to use it?
- No – you can send a report without registering. When you submit your report, we'll send you an email with a confirmation link.
If you use FixMyBCP a lot, you can avoid this step by creating an account. Once you've signed in, your reports will be sent as soon as you click 'submit'.
You'll also be able to see all previous reports you've made on one page. - How are the problems solved?
- It depends on the ward. Some wards have volunteer groups that may resolve the issue or escalate to BCP Council. Other wards may route all issues direct to the Council. Our aim is to empower the local community to take direct action, resolve the problem, and measure the cost savings that are then shared back with that local community.
- Is it free?
- The site is free to use, yes. The FixMyBCP Platform is maintained by a registered charity, so if you want to make a contribution, please do.
- Can I use FixMybcp on my mobile?
-
The FixMybcp website will already work on your mobile phone, adapting to the size of your screen automatically via a web browser. We are currently developing a mobile app for iOS and Android mobile devices to make it even easier, this is expected to laucnh in 2025.
- How do I get in touch with FixMybcp?
- Please use the contact page in the app..
Practical Questions
- How do you send the reports to BCP Council?
- We currently send escalated issues direct to BCP Council, and hope to develop an integration with the Council systems to share information between both system in a secure way. We also share summary reporst with the Council showing the issues that are resolved by the community in order to track costs savings.
- Do you remove silly or illegal content?
- FixMybcp 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. Please let us know of any content that is offensive and we will remove it. Persistent offenders may be banned from using the site.
- Why can’t I zoom out more on the reporting map?
- We want to keep FixMybcp 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 authority, then the emailed version of the problem report might also contain the closest road or postcode to the pin on the map.
Organisation Questions
- Who built FixMybcp?
- The site has been built by a local charity, Queens Park and Charminster Community Charity, and is a customised version of the open source FixMyStreet application developed by mySociety.