Sort a shared inbox by team, urgent ones first

Fields

• Subject
• Email, form or ticket text

Questions

1. Which council service should handle this email or ticket? Choice

   Choose the one service that should handle the message, using the routing rules in the context. When the message raises more than one matter, choose the service for the matter that would do the most harm if it waited; a concern that someone may be at risk of harm always outranks the others.

   • Council tax Council tax bills, discounts, exemptions, arrears and payment plans.
   • Benefits and support Housing benefit, council tax support, hardship funds and crisis payments.
   • Waste and recycling Bin collections, missed bins, new or broken bins, bulky waste and fly-tipping.
   • Highways and streets Potholes, pavements, street lights, road signs, drains on the road and trees on the highway.
   • Parking Parking permits, penalty charge notices, challenges and car parks.
   • Planning and building control Planning applications and objections, planning enforcement, building regulations and dangerous structures.
   • Environmental health Noise, pests, food safety, pollution, and conditions in privately rented homes.
   • Council housing Tenancies, rent and repairs for people who rent their home from the council.
   • Housing advice and homelessness People who are homeless or may lose their home, and applications to the housing register.
   • Adult social care Care and support needs, carers, and any concern that an adult may be at risk of harm or neglect.
   • Children and education School places and admissions, special educational needs, school transport, and any concern about a child's safety.
   • Registration Registering births and deaths, marriages, civil partnerships and certificates.
   • Licensing Premises and alcohol licences, taxis and private hire, events and street trading.
   • Leisure, libraries and parks Leisure centres, libraries, parks, playgrounds and allotments.
   • Elections The electoral register, postal votes, polling stations and election results.
   • Information governance Freedom of Information and Environmental Information requests, and requests for a person's own personal data.

2. What does the sender want from the council in this email or ticket? Choice

   Judge the matter that would do the most harm if it waited, as in the routing rules in the context. Dissatisfaction elsewhere in the message is recorded by the complaint question.

   • Report a problem Tells us something is wrong, broken or missed, or raises a concern about a person or a place.
   • Apply for or request a service Asks for something new: a permit, a bin, an assessment, a booking or a place.
   • Ask for information Asks how something works, what the rules are, or what to do next.
   • Chase an existing case Follows up an earlier contact, report or application that has not been dealt with, and asks for nothing new.
   • Complain The main purpose is to complain about how the council acted or decided, not to get a problem fixed.
   • Payment or bill query Asks about a bill, a charge, a payment made or a refund.
   • Request recorded information or personal data Asks for recorded information the council holds, or for the sender's own personal data.
   • Not a request to the council Marketing, sales pitches, newsletters, spam, automatic replies or messages meant for another organisation.

3. How urgent is this email or ticket, from what the sender says? Scale

   Rate the most urgent matter in the message, whatever service it belongs to. Do not compare dates with today; rely on words such as "tonight", "tomorrow" or "since last week".

   • Routine No time pressure; normal queue order is fine.
   • Time-limited A stated deadline, a bill due, or a missed service that gets worse with time, such as an uncollected bin.
   • Urgent Someone's wellbeing is affected within days: no heating, facing eviction, a carer not turning up.
   • Immediate risk Someone may be harmed now: a person who may be hurt or unable to get help, a household homeless tonight, a dangerous structure.

4. Does the message raise a concern that a child or an adult may be at risk of harm or neglect? Yes / No

   Count a concern about anyone: the sender, a relative, a neighbour or a stranger. This sends the message to a trained person the same hour; it is not a judgement that anyone is at risk. Yes: The message describes signs that someone may be harmed, neglected, unable to look after themselves, or not safe. No: The message raises no such concern.

5. Does the sender say they are homeless or may soon lose their home? Yes / No

   Count a notice to leave, being told to go, sofa-surfing, sleeping rough, or losing a home through eviction or repossession. Yes: The sender says they, or the household they write for, are homeless or may lose their home. No: No such situation is described.

6. Does the sender express dissatisfaction with a council service, decision or member of staff? Yes / No

   Count dissatisfaction anywhere in the message, whether or not the sender uses the word "complaint" and whatever else they ask for. Yes: The sender is unhappy with something the council did, failed to do or decided. No: The message expresses no dissatisfaction with the council.

7. Does the sender write as, or on behalf of, a councillor or MP? Yes / No

   Yes: The message comes from a councillor, an MP or their office, or says it is sent on their behalf. No: The sender writes for themselves or another organisation.

8. Does the message raise a second matter that belongs to a different service? Yes / No

   Count a matter only if a different service from the council service list would have to act on it. Yes: At least two matters in the message belong to different services. No: Everything in the message belongs to one service.

9. Is information missing that the service needs before it can act? Yes / No

   Consider the main matter: where it is, what happened, who it concerns, or which account or case it is about. Do not check whether a reference or address is valid. Yes: The service could not act without asking the sender for more. No: The message gives enough for the service to start.

10. Does the sender ask for a phone call or to speak to a person? Yes / No

    Yes: The sender asks to be phoned, to be called back, or to speak to someone. No: The sender asks for no call and no conversation.

Lens columns

service, service_probability, request_type, request_type_probability, urgency, urgency_average, person_at_risk, person_at_risk_probability, homeless_or_threatened, homeless_or_threatened_probability, complaint, complaint_probability, member_enquiry, member_enquiry_probability, second_matter, second_matter_probability, missing_details, missing_details_probability, callback_requested, callback_requested_probability