Environmental Innovation Award
sponsored by Big Green Book
Recognising a local authority scheme that demonstrated innovation in environmental practice and increases both recycling rates and the awareness of environmental issues to residents.
2010 Winner: Lewisham Council - LoveLewisham/LoveCleanStreets
Lewisham Council's website LoveLewisham, and the london-wide LoveCleanStreets, help people to share information about their area to improve the environment.
LoveCleanStreets is a free online tool which allows people who work or live in London to upload photographs of the area around them. Photographs can be of a neighbourhood's 'loved' qualities which the user would like to share with others to promote the area. It can also be something 'unloved' which the user would like to bring to the attention of their local authority such as graffiti or flytipping.
The website was born out of Lewisham Council's 'LoveLewisham' site, which has been active for the last five years. Once the photos are uploaded they are displayed on high-tech maps which can be viewed by anyone.
Users can submit reports using the free iPhone or Windows Mobile application by sending a text or by visiting the web site. They can search for all the reports in their area, share them via social networking sites, review progress, or subscribe to updates. Instead of creating an account, users can use any popular system to sign in with their existing account, such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, OpenID, WordPress, Windows Live ID, Yahoo, Blogger, MyOpenID, AOL, Verisign or flickr. A ‘Live Map’ using Microsoft Silverlight technology shows reports as they appear in real time. It can be fully integrated into local authority systems, allowing developers to create their own applications to submit and retrieve reports.
Since the project started the number of enviro-crimes in the borough has fallen. According to the Audit Commssion complaints about graffiti have fallen by 30 per cent and between June 2007 and August 2009 the amount of graffiti observed in the borough fell by eight per cent.
An analysis of experiences with LoveCleanStreets demonstrated an 87% reduction in the time taken to process an issue, compared to a standard casework service request or complaint. LoveCleanStreets was designed to shift resources away from administrative activities and focus instead on quickly resolving the reported problem.
The service, which was developed with applications provider bbits, is now being rolled out across London. Phil Barton, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said recently: “We are delighted that LoveCleanStreets is to be rolled out across London. Encouraging local people to get involved and to report the problems they see will not only help councils to provide better street scene services but at the same time will build public support for their work. The adoption of smart solutions in this way will help keep London tidy and lead to cleaner, greener places.”
