Help points here to help you
A major initiative to bring public service closer to the people will be launched on June 24 at Uckfield Library as all four of Wealden’s Community Help Points become operational.
Each Community Help Points brings access to District and County Council services together under one roof providing a helpful face-to-face response.
“People like to deal with other people, not remote digitised call centres,” said Councillor Nigel Coltman, Leader of Wealden District Council. “Working together Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council have created a number of Community Help Points which can deal with requests for local authority services, regardless of which authority provides them.”
Friendly staff will be able to deal direct with enquires and help residents and visitors access the many services that are now available on-line. These on-line services now include the payment of Council Tax and housing rent with a credit or debit card, accessing information about schools and social service care, reporting uncollected waste and damaged roads, finding out about community safety, planning applications and recycling facilities, and seek advice about wedding venues and consumer protection.
“’Sorry, we don’t do that here,’ is not a response customers want to hear. By working together as local authorities there is no reason why the public cannot access all the services they want from one location. What the public is interested in, is getting things done,” said Councillor Raymond Parsons, Cabinet member for Corporate Services at Wealden District Council.
The four Wealden Community Help Points are located at Hailsham (at the Council Offices in Vicarage lane); at Uckfield in the Library in the High Street; at Heathfield in the Library in the High Street, Heathfield; and at Crowborough at the Council Offices in Pine Grove.
Councillor Bob Tidy, Lead member for e-government at the County Council, said: "Making it easier for people in Wealden to access council services is the name of the game and these help points do just that. The County Council and Wealden Council have been working hard on this project and I'm delighted to see it get off the ground.
"It is especially pleasing that two of the four help points are based at our libraries in Uckfield and Heathfield. These libraries are enjoyed by many local people and I am sure the help points will be a welcome edition to the services on offer."
Community Help Points are part of the joint ‘Access East Sussex’ strategy agreed by the County and District Councils in East Sussex to deliver joined up services to their customers. To provide further support in local communities, touch-screen internet kiosks with access to a range of public services have been installed in shops and public buildings. Access Point kiosks are already located at Willingdon, Polegate, Wadhurst , Forest Row, Pevensey, Horam and Herstmonceux.
Access Point kiosks can also be used for other services such as printing digital photographs, mobile phone top-ups and downloads, and sending an email.
