Shire Hall’s celebrations
More than 250 people took advantage of a chance for a behind the scenes tour of Shire Hall, plus got to enjoy live music, and meet an Olympic star and nobility.
Swimming star Sharron Davies joined local youngsters and various visitors and dignitaries for the official opening of Warwickshire Direct in Shire Hall in Warwick on Saturday.
And joining them were hundreds of local people, fascinated to get a glimpse at the changes to Shire Hall, the new Post Office, and enjoy a brief tour of the building.
Now everyone can enjoy the benefits of popping into the new Warwickshire Direct walk-in centre offering people access to services previously only available individually from Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council.
Couple this with the opening of Warwick’s all-new Post Office within the same walk-in centre, and people have never had it so easy when it comes to accessing services.
Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services, said: “It was a great day, and lovely to see so many people turning out. The children had a great time with the face painting and colouring.
“Hopefully now more people will wander through the doors of Shire Hall to discover the range of services, including county and district council services, on offer to the people of Warwick. It’s a fantastic facility for local residents.”
Sharron Davies met members of local swimming clubs and along with the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire Martin Dunne performed the official ribbon cutting. Gillian Cowley who was the 1,001st customer to use Warwickshire Direct in Shire Hall since it’s opening on 21st April also joined them in the ribbon cutting.
Live music was provided by First Kill, a young group from Rugby, previous winners of the Rugby FM Undiscovered Youth Talent Contest, who will now go on from Shire Hall to play the NEC on Friday, 11th July.
The new centre includes dedicated customer service desks, private areas where people can discuss matters confidentially and free internet access.
Here are just some of the services on offer:
Register for Council Tax
Apply for housing and Council Tax benefit
Apply for a disabled parking badge
Arrange for the collection of bulky household items
View planning applications
Report highway problems
Find out about refuse and recycling collections
Apply for a national bus pass
Report an abandoned vehicle
Information on compost bins and the Home Woodchipping Service
Plus there are the many postal, business, travel and insurance services on offer from the Post Office, including:
Car tax and licences
Pensions and benefits
Letters and parcels – special delivery, mail direction
Travel – insurance, bureau de change with 0% commission free on foreign currency
Passport check and send
Business – Parcelforce worldwide, special delivery 9am
Banking services – moneygram and gift vouchers