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Sorted by what went wrong
Nobody knows which department it is. That isn't your problem to solve.
Council sites are arranged by who owns the budget. This one is arranged by what has actually happened — a light that's out, a bin that wasn't taken, a bill you can't pay. Under each is the thing almost nobody tells you: which body genuinely does it.
Report it
A light that's out — The pole has a number on it. Quote that and the job goes straight to the right van
A pothole — Say how wide, not how annoying. Width is what sets the priority, so the size IS the report
Fly-tipping — Photograph it before it's cleared. That photo is the only evidence there will ever be
A missed bin — There is usually a window, often about 48 hours, after which it becomes next week's problem
A pothole — Say how wide, not how annoying. Width is what sets the priority, so the size IS the report
Fly-tipping — Photograph it before it's cleared. That photo is the only evidence there will ever be
A missed bin — There is usually a window, often about 48 hours, after which it becomes next week's problem
Pay or apply
Council tax — The reference is on the bill and it is the only thing that finds your account quickly
A parking notice — Two clocks run at once — one to pay at a discount, one to appeal. Write down both dates today
Housing or benefit — Apply the day you think you might need it. Most are paid from the date applied, not the date needed
A permit or licence — Start earlier than the stated time. "Ten working days" begins when they accept it, not when you send it
A parking notice — Two clocks run at once — one to pay at a discount, one to appeal. Write down both dates today
Housing or benefit — Apply the day you think you might need it. Most are paid from the date applied, not the date needed
A permit or licence — Start earlier than the stated time. "Ten working days" begins when they accept it, not when you send it
Ask or object
A planning application — Comments have a closing date and it is short. Objections after it get read but not counted
A licensing application — Same shape, different window, and the grounds you may object on are narrower than people expect
A records request — Ask for a document, not for an explanation. Specific requests get answered; broad ones get refused
Anything else — Ring rather than email. Five minutes on the phone routes better than a good message in the wrong inbox
A licensing application — Same shape, different window, and the grounds you may object on are narrower than people expect
A records request — Ask for a document, not for an explanation. Specific requests get answered; broad ones get refused
Anything else — Ring rather than email. Five minutes on the phone routes better than a good message in the wrong inbox
Who actually does what
This is the biggest reason a report goes nowhere. The wrong body receives it and then nothing at all happens next, quietly.
Roads and pavements — Often a different council to the one that empties your bins. Two tiers is normal and nobody ever explains it
Streetlights — Sometimes the council, sometimes a contractor, sometimes the highways body. The number on the pole decides it
Water and sewers — Almost never the council. A water company, and they have their own 24-hour line
Gas and power in the street — The network operator, not your supplier. Different companies, and only one of them can dig a hole
Abandoned vehicles and noise — Usually the council and sometimes the police, and the line between them is about danger rather than annoyance
If you aren't sure — Report it to either one. A misrouted report gets passed on; a report nobody made does not
Streetlights — Sometimes the council, sometimes a contractor, sometimes the highways body. The number on the pole decides it
Water and sewers — Almost never the council. A water company, and they have their own 24-hour line
Gas and power in the street — The network operator, not your supplier. Different companies, and only one of them can dig a hole
Abandoned vehicles and noise — Usually the council and sometimes the police, and the line between them is about danger rather than annoyance
If you aren't sure — Report it to either one. A misrouted report gets passed on; a report nobody made does not
Replace every line above with the bodies that actually serve your area, named, with links. This section is a shape rather than an answer — the split differs from place to place, and getting it wrong is the exact problem this page exists to fix.
Get a reference number, or it didn't happen
Always ask for one — Even on the phone, even for something small. Without it there is no report — only a memory of one
Write down three things — The reference, the date, and the name of whoever you spoke to. Those three settle every argument about whether you reported it
Ask for the timescale out loud — And write that down too. "As soon as possible" is not a timescale and is worth pushing back on
Screenshot the confirmation — Online forms lose things and confirmation emails go to spam. A screenshot survives both of those
When the timescale passes — Chase with the reference, not with the story. A reference gets looked up; a story gets re-explained
Keep a chase log — Dates and references only. Six lines of that is worth more than six paragraphs of how you feel about it
Write down three things — The reference, the date, and the name of whoever you spoke to. Those three settle every argument about whether you reported it
Ask for the timescale out loud — And write that down too. "As soon as possible" is not a timescale and is worth pushing back on
Screenshot the confirmation — Online forms lose things and confirmation emails go to spam. A screenshot survives both of those
When the timescale passes — Chase with the reference, not with the story. A reference gets looked up; a story gets re-explained
Keep a chase log — Dates and references only. Six lines of that is worth more than six paragraphs of how you feel about it
Emergency, or not
This page deliberately lists no numbers — they differ by country and printing a wrong one is dangerous. Put yours here before publishing. What it can do is describe where the line falls.
Ring the emergency number — If somebody is in danger, if there is a fire, or if a crime is happening right now
Also ring it — For a smell of gas, a downed power cable, or a burst main flooding a road. Those have their own 24-hour lines too — list both
Don't ring it — For a fallen branch blocking nothing, a light that's out, or a neighbour's music. Those have non-emergency routes, and using the wrong one slows everybody down
Out of hours — Most councils run an emergency-only number after five. It is not a general enquiry line, and treating it as one is how it gets withdrawn
If you're genuinely unsure — Ring the emergency number. Being wrong in that direction is fine, and the operators say so themselves
Put your numbers here — By name, with what each one is for. A page about services with no numbers on it is a page that failed
Also ring it — For a smell of gas, a downed power cable, or a burst main flooding a road. Those have their own 24-hour lines too — list both
Don't ring it — For a fallen branch blocking nothing, a light that's out, or a neighbour's music. Those have non-emergency routes, and using the wrong one slows everybody down
Out of hours — Most councils run an emergency-only number after five. It is not a general enquiry line, and treating it as one is how it gets withdrawn
If you're genuinely unsure — Ring the emergency number. Being wrong in that direction is fine, and the operators say so themselves
Put your numbers here — By name, with what each one is for. A page about services with no numbers on it is a page that failed
If you can't do it online
There is usually another way — Phone, in person, by post, or through a library. It is rarely advertised and it almost always exists
Ask for it by name — "Is there a non-digital route?" gets a different answer to "can I do this by phone?" — try the first one
Somebody can act for you — Most services let a friend or relative deal on your behalf once you have said so in writing
Libraries — Usually have a computer, a printer, and somebody who has already helped forty people with the same form
If a deadline is close — Ring and say so at the time. A deadline missed because a website failed is often fixable — but only if you said so then
Advocacy — For anything complicated there are free services that do this professionally. Name the ones near you here
Ask for it by name — "Is there a non-digital route?" gets a different answer to "can I do this by phone?" — try the first one
Somebody can act for you — Most services let a friend or relative deal on your behalf once you have said so in writing
Libraries — Usually have a computer, a printer, and somebody who has already helped forty people with the same form
If a deadline is close — Ring and say so at the time. A deadline missed because a website failed is often fixable — but only if you said so then
Advocacy — For anything complicated there are free services that do this professionally. Name the ones near you here
When nothing happens
First, chase with the reference — Half of everything stuck is stuck because nobody looked at it, not because somebody decided against it
Then use the complaints process — By that name. "I'd like to raise a complaint" starts a tracked, timed process that "I'm annoyed" does not
It usually has stages — Two or three, each with its own clock. Asking which stage you are at speeds things up on its own
Then the independent body — Most places have an ombudsman or equivalent, and it will only look once the internal stages are finished. Name yours here
Your elected member, in parallel — They can ask on your behalf, and the asking is recorded. It works, and it is badly underused
Who actually decides — The service, then the complaints stage, then the independent body. Not this page, and not the person answering the phone
Then use the complaints process — By that name. "I'd like to raise a complaint" starts a tracked, timed process that "I'm annoyed" does not
It usually has stages — Two or three, each with its own clock. Asking which stage you are at speeds things up on its own
Then the independent body — Most places have an ombudsman or equivalent, and it will only look once the internal stages are finished. Name yours here
Your elected member, in parallel — They can ask on your behalf, and the asking is recorded. It works, and it is badly underused
Who actually decides — The service, then the complaints stage, then the independent body. Not this page, and not the person answering the phone
Tell us what's missing or broken
This page is only worth anything if it is right. The most useful message is a link that has moved, a service that has changed hands, or a problem that isn't listed and should be.
Tell us what's missing or broken
"I gave up" is a real answer and it is the most useful one on that list. It nearly always means a route on this page is broken, rather than a person who wasn't persistent enough.
Live preview — every color, word and block is editable after you pick it.