Rate my place District Council

The local need The results > The original site was launched in 2007, using a Ratemyplace was launched in 2007 after research by the Food customised off the shelf solution called Standards Agency showed that there was a demand for local ezDatabase

authorities to publish the results of food safety inspections > ezDatabase quickly proved to be not fit for online. purpose, so the site was rebuilt from the There were a range of commercial solutions on the market, ground up but the Food Group collectively decided that these solutions did not meet their needs and were too > The new site was relaunched in June 2009, expensive. with a new design, easier back-end maintenance tools for officers and an API, LDC’s Environmental Health Service had the vision to find a meaning data can be reused easily, reflecting new solution to reduce costs by encouraging Staffordshire food the aims of the Digital Britain report, premises to collectively support the concept and rate my place published in the same month was born. > The old site received around 50 visits per day, LDC had the internal development resource, so Lichfield and this has almost doubled since the relaunch webmaster Stuart Harrison began work on the system. Where next? The vision We have recently taken on two new councils www.ratemyplace.org.uk is a website for residents in six local ( and High Peak) and hope authority areas in Staffordshire to find out food safety ratings for to take on Newcastle Under Lyme District Council restaurants and other food premises in their area. It is managed and Stoke on Trent City Council in the near future. by food safety officers, who add details of inspections on a daily We also hope to look further afield and take on basis. We also have a mobile site at www.ratemyplace.mobi more councils from outside the county (High Peak Councils are charged for the use of the site and any profits are being the first) and expand the operation. reinvested in the project. We are in the early stages of building a Ratemyplace app for the iPhone and hope to expand this to The challenge other platforms in the near future.

The system had to be robust and useable. We have had to promote it across district borders and increase awareness for a number of communications teams. Often press coverage varies across the areas. For more information >> > Stuart Harrison - Webmaster > 01543 308779 > [email protected]

> Graham Hakes - Principal EH Officer > 01543 308742 > [email protected]