Market Drayton councillors to mass-report town's potholes, graffiti and other issues in 'blitz'

Residents within Shropshire Council's area can use the website and app to report any issues with the highway and other council-maintained assets.

Tim Manton, deputy mayor and chair of Market Drayton Town Council's services and facilities committee, said the town council held a meeting with a Shropshire Council officer who has responsibility for FixMyStreet in the county.

He said councillors took the officer on a tour of the town to show what they believe needs improving, but also highlighted concerns that not everything that is reported on FixMyStreet gets fixed - labelling it "hit or miss".

Councillor Manton said Market Drayton currently has a "wide range" of issues including potholes, graffiti, broken and uneven paving, broken street furniture, broken and "poorly maintained" fencing, and poor drainage at the town bus depot.

He and town councillors are encouraging residents to use FixMyStreet to report any problems they find in the town, or contact the town council regarding any concerns so they can report the issue themselves.

A group of councillors will also tour Market Drayton next Thursday (January 23) and will report as many issues and problems as they can. 

"We're going to get together and have a blitz," said Councillor Manton. "Four or five of us are going to walk around town and split up separately and have a blitz on FixMyStreet and do a load of reporting. 

"We are going to go around town with mobile phones in hand and whatever problems we come up with, we will report them straight away. 

"What we want to do is say to residents that FixMyStreet is open to you as well. Get reporting on there - the more reports that go on the site, the more chance we have got of sorting these situations of potholes, poor pavements, overhanging trees, hedges, whatever it might be.

"As a town council we go out of our way to report things on FixMyStreet and councillors are very proactive with it. The town council are also very proactive to do it for those who can't, for example those who do not have internet access. 

"But we find two issues with it: the first that it is a bit hit or miss. We find that you report stuff on there and sometimes it doesn't get done and then other times it does. 

"And we are also trying to get people more informed about FixMyStreet because people aren't. We have our councillor market stall and probably 95 per cent of people who speak to us don't know what it is, and I think that is a problem because people complain about issues in the community and there is a way to get it sorted and that is through FixMyStreet.

"What we have done to try and address it being hit and miss is have a meeting with one of the officers in charge at Shropshire Council of FixMyStreet at the Town Hall."

Mr Manton said it was a 'gloves off' meeting where councillors "expressed their disappointment as a town of the level of service that they were getting off Shropshire Council".

The deputy mayor said he hopes to see a significant increase in issues being reported - and fixed.