Getting Swansea Council’s help and learning about its services is now as easy as switching on your TV or games console.
Thanks to Swansea’s new DigiTV channel, thousands of Swansea residents are accessing Council services at home or on the go through their mobile phone, TV remote or even their Nintendo Wii.
There are currently more than 6,000 views a month on the service which offers free, instant access to local information and Council services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Swansea boasts one of the most used council DigiTV channels of all 22 Welsh local authorities.
Cllr Mary Jones, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Business Improvement and Efficiency, said: “We’re delighted to be able to reap the benefits of digital television and new technology to give our residents greater access to information and services.
“We hope people will find it a convenient and easy way to get in touch 24/7 and it will help us help them.
“This is all being provided at no additional cost to residents and we’re already looking at ways to provide even more services through our DigiTv screens.”
The interactive channel means at the touch of a button you can report street lighting problems, benefit fraud, potholes, abandoned cars, missed bin collections and fly-tipping.
On DigiTV residents can request various application forms for bus permits, blue badges, housing register applications and other services. It’s also possible to search for jobs from Jobcentre Plus as well as check the latest bus and train times.
Swansea DigiTV offers pages of information on Council services and the services of other public sector organisations including the NHS and the Job Centre.
If residents subscribe to Sky or Virgin Media it can be accessed via a TV remote control. The service is also available on broadband enabled Freeview, mobile and on a Nintendo Wii through www.lookinglocal.gov.uk/swansea
The Assembly is funding the Swansea trial of the digital system along with other Local Authorities in Wales.
The scheme is aimed at giving people even easier access to information and more ways to get in touch with their Local Authority.
Further information on the service as well as instructions on how to use it can be found at www.swansea.gov.uk/digitv
