New services coming to Bishop's Castle

Residents in Bishop’s Castle are invited to the launch of a new Shropshire Customer First point which will enable them to speak face-to-face with a range of organisations at the touch of a button.

A new Shropshire Customer First point has been established at Bishop’s Castle Enterprise Centre, which will mean people can access many services without having to travel to the nearest town. This project is one of only a handful in the country to be using webcam technology to bring services to people.

The new facility will be opened by Councillor Barbara Craig, Paul Sutton, Managing Director of South Shropshire Housing Association, and Richard Chanter from A4U, next Tuesday (5 February) between 11.00am and midday. Everyone is invited to come along to have a look and see what it could offer them.

Broadband, and developments in technology, mean that people can now have a face-to-face conversation with organisations on the other side of the county. There is no need for people to be able to use a computer, as they just need to touch a button on a TV screen and the adviser does the rest. They can share documents, complete forms and even have their picture taken for identification badges.

Shropshire County Council will be able to help people with travel advice, contacting councillors, recycling and refuse and much more. In addition to council services, Age Concern, Citizens Advice Shropshire, A4U and South Shropshire Housing Association will also be offering confidential advice and support on a wide range of topics.

The total project cost of £85K in Shropshire has been part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Shropshire County Council, and Advantage West Midlands through the Shropshire Access Partnership. The project reflects the county council’s drive to deliver access to services throughout the county to the people of Shropshire. Through the appropriate use of technology customers can have forms processed straight away and receive information from a friendly face, reducing the need to travel by both service providers and service users providing both cost savings and environmental benefits.

Councillor Barbara Craig, Cabinet member for community services, said “Shropshire Customer First points are revolutionising the way in which people can access a range of services provided by Shropshire County Council. This new service is aimed at improving access to information and services in rural communities.”

Mike Ashwell, Manager of Enterprise South West Shropshire, said “Hopefully this service will provide a user-friendly way for people in the area to access useful and accurate information and services in a way that will rule out an otherwise lengthy journey.”

Paul Sutton, Managing Director of South Shropshire Housing Association, said “Operating in a county the size of Shropshire it is difficult for people to travel to our offices. Shropshire Customer First gives our customers the opportunity to have face-to-face contact with us from the more distant areas from our offices. Apart from the ability to communicate face-to-face, we are actively developing a range of services which will be available using Shropshire Customer First.”

At present this is a pilot project, and the organisations involved are keen to have feedback from customers to see what they think of the service.

1 February 2008