By clicking on a link, residents will be taken to an interactive chat accessed from one of the popular applications people use daily such as Facebook Messenger.

The first conversation is on homelessness and aims to give people a quick and easy way to add their voice without having to attend a meeting or fill in a long survey.

All of the results will be made anonymous and then provided to those people and organisations that make key decisions on homelessness across the region.

Novoville, the start-up providing the technology, was a winner of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) recent Urban Challenge competition which focuses on using digital solutions to help tackle issues like housing, youth unemployment and people’s general well-being.

The Mayor added: “We are really happy to be engaging residents through this new approach. The more people who give their views, the better we can collectively improve services.”