Council promotes services during national customer service week

Herefordshire Council’s customer services staff are planning a host of special events to celebrate national customer service week which takes place from 5th-11th October.
 
Herefordshire has six centres which provide a single point of advice and support to customers and access to council services on a wide range of information. The centres based in Hereford, Ross on Wye, Ledbury, Kington, Bromyard and Leominster are all able to provide information and advice on local services, chase enquiries in relation to planning and building control, housing, environmental health and trading standards, housing benefits, council tax, payments, blue badges and bus passes, highways and culture and leisure services.

During the celebratory week, as well as providing their usual surgeries and services, the centres are all planning to hold additional events, many focusing on handy hints and tips for keeping warm this winter and carrying out home repairs.

The golden promise scheme to fast track new housing and council tax benefit claims within two working days has been so successful at the Hereford centre that it is now being launched in Leominster and Ross on Wye. Customer service staff will be promoting the new scheme on Monday October 5th.
From 6 October Belmont Library will host surgeries between 9.30am and 12noon every Tuesday.  At the surgeries, residents can receive disabled parking blue badge scheme information including support and assessments, together with guidance and help for completing housing and council tax benefit applications. To book an appointment call 01432 261832.
To celebrate disability awareness day on Wednesday 7 October, all customer service centres will be promoting the disabled parking blue badge scheme. Herefordshire Carers Support will be available at the Hereford Centre, Widemarsh Street, between 9.30am and 4pm and there will be a bus between 11.00am and 2.00pm parked at the Maylord’s Orchard bus stop for wheelchair users to come and practice boarding.
To support the council’s partnership with NHS Herefordshire, the customer service team will be available to show patients how to choose and book appointments online at all our centres on Friday 9 October.

Councillor June French, cabinet member for customer services, said: “Our customer service staff are have a huge depth of local knowledge and understanding of local services, and provide good quality and much needed support to many residents.
“We have customer service centres in each of the market towns as well as Hereford, so people can get the information they need on their doorstep and all under one roof.  Customer services week provides an opportunity for us to encourage people to visit our centres and find out more about the services they can receive.”
Full details of all the events,including times and venues,  are available on the council’s web site (www.herefordshire.gov.uk).