Warwickshire News Mine

‘Warwickshire Direct’ will be launched in spring 2008 in what is currently the reception area of Shire Hall, which will be developed to incorporate additional services from both Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council.

A ramp is currently being built at the front of Shire Hall as the first stage of this project and is part of general improvements being made to the Shire Hall complex to make it more accessible. For the duration of this work, alternative cycle parking is available in Swan Street, New Street (at the entrance to the car park) and outside Boots.
 
In order to keep disruption for visitors to a minimum throughout the rest of the project, the existing Shire Hall reception will be relocated to a temporary home at what is currently the county council’s ICT service desk reception for the duration of the redevelopment.

The temporary entrance will be to the left of the current Shire Hall reception entrance, at the other end of the pond at the front of Shire Hall. It can be accessed via both a ramp (at the front of Shire Hall) and steps (on the Barrack Street side of Shire Hall) and will be clearly signposted.

The temporary relocation will happen from the start of October. The opening hours for the temporary reception will be 8am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 5pm on Friday (the same as the existing opening hours).

Kushal Birla, Head of Customer Service and Access at Warwickshire County Council, said:  “We’ll be taking steps to keep inconvenience to a minimum for visitors to Shire Hall during the redevelopment work. It will be very much business as usual and once the work has been completed there will be a major long-term benefit for people.

“Warwickshire County Council wants to improve customer service and the way people connect with the services we offer. The redevelopment of Shire Hall’s reception to create the ‘Warwickshire Direct’ one stop shop provides an excellent opportunity for us to encourage people to access both county and district council services.”

Services, information and advice from both the county and district council will be located together on one site at ‘Warwickshire Direct’, enabling local residents to have their queries answered straight away.

People will be able to access a whole host of services at the centre, from enquiring about their council tax and housing benefit to applying for a disabled parking blue badge or asking about free school meals. Discussions are taking place about potentially opening the new one stop shop on a Saturday.

Councillor Norman Pratt, Portfolio Holder for Customer Services, Warwick District Council, said: “The one stop shop at Shire Hall, Warwick will make accessing council services easier for yet another community in Warwick district. Working In partnership with the public and voluntary sectors, one stop shops will be available in other parts of the district.

"There’s no need for residents to worry about which council provides which service. We’ll be able to answer your query at the first point of contact."

Councillor Peter Fowler, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Performance and Development, said: “The aim is to bring a range of services, including county and district council services, closer to people in Warwick and I am sure that the ‘Warwickshire Direct’ one stop shop will achieve that. It will be a fantastic facility for local residents.”

The ‘Warwickshire Direct’ one stop shop at Warwick is the latest phase of an exciting pilot project involving Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council.

It follows the success of ‘Warwickshire Direct – Kenilworth’, a similar centre that has benefited thousands of residents in Kenilworth since it opened in October 2005.

‘Warwickshire Direct – Whitnash’, another joint venture involving the county and district council in collaboration with Whitnash Town Council and Warwickshire Police’s local Safer Neighbourhoods team, will be launched in December this year on the premises of Whitnash Library.

‘Warwickshire Direct’ one stop shops have also been opened elsewhere in the county. The county’s second one stop shop was officially opened in Bedworth in November last year and ‘Warwickshire Direct – North Warwickshire’ opened at North Warwickshire Borough Council’s headquarters in Atherstone in April this year. ‘Warwickshire Direct – Nuneaton & Bedworth’ will officially open at Nuneaton Town Hall on 1st October.

Link to WCC