One Stop Shop in Alexandria Library
Councillors and staff at the new one stop shop in Alexandria Library which has attracted criticism about lack of privacy for members of the public.
The new One Stop Shop at Alexandria Library has been launched officially and, according to the Council, the new location is continuing to provide local residents with assistance and information relating to a breadth of Council services ranging from Council Tax to school clothing grants and waste collections.
Experienced staff are on hand to provide practical support in the town centre location, and in addition residents can now also access book loans, computers, free wi-fi, grab a hot drink and informally receive Macmillan Cancer Support.
Visitors can also benefit from regular sessions held by staff from Working4U, who provide access to training and learning opportunities as well as support to find work. Business Gateway advisors are available once a week to provide assistance to help people to launch or develop their own companies.
Councillor Ian Dickson, Convener of Corporate Services, said: “I am delighted to officially launch the One Stop Shop in its new location.
“It has been great to visit the new One Stop Shop and see first hand the support it is continuing to provide to residents. It has also been positive to hear about how people using the service are now also taking out books while they are here.
“Our aim with the move was to make life easier for our residents by bringing well-used services together in a popular location, and I’m satisfied that we’ve done just that. It is also great for the library which has seen visitor numbers increase by 15% in the first month.
“This is part of a wider programme to enhance the services we provide to our residents both face to face and by telephone. Since the changes were introduced on 1 May we’ve seen waits at the telephone contact centre drop by 50% at busy periods such as lunchtimes, more people use our online forms than ever before, and thousands of residents start paying cash bills in local shops rather than travelling to One Stop Shops.”
Councillor Iain McLaren, Vice-Convener of Corporate Services, added: “Having such a range of services under one roof is a brilliant resource for local residents.
“Residents can get answers to Council Tax queries, move onto get help with employment through Working4U, and then access advice from Business Gateway.
“It means the library truly is a One Stop Shop for residents in Alexandria.”
The One Stop Shop, based on Gilmour Street, is open Monday – Friday between 9.30am and 4.30pm.
The One Stop Shop delivers a wide range of Council services including:
- Council Tax, rents, benefits, creditors & debtors’ queries
- Pest Control service requests
- All payments using online self-serve or online assisted
- Special waste uplifts, replacement & damaged bins, waste collection routes, recycling advice
- Free school meals and clothing grants applications
- Elderly Welfare Grants applications
- National Entitlement Cards/Young Scot
- Complaints/commendations
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