United Surrey unveils accessible services plan

United Surrey is committing to dramatically increasing utilization of and participation with city services and programs by unveiling its Accessible Services Plan.

After extensive research of neighbouring municipalities, United Surrey will better utilize technology to facilitate the following three proposals to improve resident access:

Introduce a 48-hour or under response time for all calls or reports from residents (e.g. potholes, street light malfunctions, missed garbage pick-ups) made online or through a newly designed phone app;

Guarantee three-day issuance for temporary business licenses while the site/business inspection is pending (targeted towards hospitality industry venues like restaurants and bars);

Introduce a new integrated City of Surrey app to provide one-stop access to all city of Surrey programming and resources.

The City of Surrey must focus on improving the experience of residents when accessing programs and services, according to Mayoral candidate Sukh Dhaliwal.

"By employing technology and alternative delivery methods, United Surrey intends to dramatically increase the reach of services and programming while also reducing processing times and bureaucracy," says Dhaliwal. "A back-to-basic approach means that you utilize all tools available to improve the experiences of residents when interacting with City of Surrey offerings."