Happy birthday! ‘Warwickshire Direct – Kenilworth’ is one year old
A pioneering information and resource centre that has completely revolutionised the way people in Kenilworth access local information and services celebrates its first birthday this week.
‘Warwickshire Direct – Kenilworth’ opened its doors to the public on 21 October last year following a major revamp and welcome refurbishment of the town’s library.
Since then, thousands of local people have visited the vibrant new premises, not only to borrow library books but also to access a whole host of services – from applying for a bus pass to meeting their MP!
‘Warwickshire Direct – Kenilworth’ is the result of an exciting joint venture between Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council.
Following the success of the Kenilworth scheme, similar centres are planned elsewhere in the county. Residents in Whitnash will be the next to benefit.
Staff at Kenilworth will celebrate the one year milestone on Friday 20 October with a coffee morning and special birthday cake provided by Paragon Interiors PLC, who designed and built the new look facility. Residents are invited to join in the celebrations and check out what the centre has to offer.
Councillor Misan MacFarland, Portfolio Holder for Customer Services, Warwick District Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted that so many people have taken advantage of the increased access to information and services over the past year and discovered that this is now so much more than just a library!
“The aim was to bring services closer to people in Kenilworth so they don’t have to travel and ‘Warwickshire Direct – Kenilworth’ has undoubtedly achieved that.”
Councillor Peter Fowler, Portfolio Holder for Performance & Development, Warwickshire County Council, said: “I am extremely pleased that our partnership with Warwick District Council to provide a single point of contact for council services in Kenilworth has been such a success.”
Kushal Birla, Head of Customer Service & Access, Warwickshire County Council, said: “’Warwickshire Direct – Kenilworth’ is a fantastic facility for local residents and all credit goes to the customer service advisers there for making it a success in its first year. We look forward to developing further ‘one stop shops’ around the county.”
An average of 94% of enquiries at ‘Warwickshire Direct – Kenilworth’ are resolved first time. A customer satisfaction survey in April revealed that 100% of customers were satisfied with the service they received, and 86% of these were very satisfied.