The Forwarding System
Each message sent to a representative will have a footnote which tells the recipient "If you're the wrong representative for this message, please go here to redirect it".
Detailed description
Each message or email contains a link with an encrypted component. The encryption is to prevent random people on the internet from being able to re-route mail.
The representative is then presented with a version of the same page that the message sender used to pick their desired recipient. They click on the correct representative, and hit forward. The system prompts them for a short (ie 1 line) message as to why they're forwarding it on. The original message is then sent to the new representative, and the short reply is sent to the original sender. And obviously the logs record this for analysis later.
Questions
Should we disable this for faxes, given that many of them will be passed around by people other than the representatives themselves?
Should we allow people to add their own frequently used contacts? This has been a specific feature request from someone who deals with councillors, and who knows that most of their mail is redirected to specific non-elected officers. What are the down-sides?
Should we force people to use email at .gov.uk and do an email confirm before we let them use the forwarding system?
Answers
Forcing them to use email at .gov.uk - bad idea, since (in my experience) a significant proportion of local councillors use (and advertise) their personal email addresses for council-related work. Also, the actual forwarding work may be done by a political assistant with a party-supplied or personal email account (again, not a .gov.uk address). --etienne