WEST Devon Borough Council has brought its services closer to the local community with the opening of a new customer services centre in Okehampton. West Devon mayor Cllr Peter Hill cut the red tape officially to open the new centre in St James Street. The town centre shop has brought all borough council services under one roof. Dan Bates, the borough?s assistant chief executive, said the smartly uniformed front office staff had undergone an extensive re-training programme and were now able to give advice on a wide range of services, from refuse collection to pest control, including information on housing revenue and benefits. ?We really want to get the message out that we are aiming to provide a one-stop service. At the end of six months we expect 80% of enquiries will be dealt with in the first instance ? and if it can?t, these guys know exactly the people who have the answers,? said Mr Bates. The new customer service centre will also provide high-tech facilities for around 20 members of staff to ?hot-desk?, running building control and planning surgeries at specific times, when they are not out on site. Mr Bates said the new centre was also far more accessible to the public than the Okelands offices. ?The footfall here is tremendously greater ? and we are hoping it will be an improvement to St James Street too, as this building had been empty for some time.? Cllr Hill said he was delighted they were providing residents with a focussed facility where they could get all their council queries answered quickly and efficiently by trained staff. ?We are entering a new era in customer service, and it?s an exciting one,? he said. West Devon Borough Council?s Oakland Drive offices on the edge of the town will now be open to the public for council meetings only.
