A senior councillor in Dudley has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the council's online service, revealing that residents are being left waiting for up to six months for help with issues like potholes and housing repairs.
Councillor reveals shocking casework backlog
The concerns were raised during a meeting of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council on December 1, 2025. Councillor Ed Lawrence, the cabinet member for transformation, responded to questions about a specific part of the MyDudley online portal. This new section allows elected members to report problems on behalf of their constituents and track how long it takes for the authority to resolve them.
Labour councillors argued that the data from the system exposed the severe impact of spending reductions. Councillor Qasim Mughal stated that staffing cuts had "hollowed out the council's ability to deliver even the basics". He emphasised that residents typically approach their local councillor only after the council has already failed to address their concerns.
Statistics paint a picture of systemic delays
Cllr Mughal presented stark figures to the chamber. He revealed that since April, 841 out of 3,279 reported cases remained unresolved. The average time to resolve a case was 28 working days in the environment directorate and 31 days in housing and children's services.
More alarmingly, he detailed that across these key departments, one in five of the cases that had been closed still took over eight weeks to resolve. The situation for open cases was even worse.
Half of all unresolved environment cases have been open for 12 weeks or more. Across the entire council, a staggering 150 cases have been left unresolved for longer than six months.
"Six months of waiting for repairs, six months of chasing answers, six months of residents left in limbo," Cllr Mughal said. "These aren't just statistics; they represent families living in homes with repairs needed, parents waiting for support, communities left with potholes and neglected streets."
Council blames staffing, not technology
In his response, Councillor Ed Lawrence acknowledged there were significant problems with the new MyDudley council portal. However, he pointed the finger not at the technology itself, but at chronic staffing shortages within the council's departments.
"We are aware there are some issues with the new My Dudley council portal," Cllr Lawrence stated. "There are some issues with staffing within the directorates answering some of the questions. I don't believe it is the technology but we are having a review, I have seen what the system is like and I am not happy with it myself."
The admission confirms that behind the digital interface, reduced capacity is crippling the local authority's ability to perform fundamental tasks. The council has now committed to a review of the system and the underlying processes causing the extensive delays.
