Daventry District Council has teamed up with the police and fire services to offer residents access to even more services under one roof.
A new Communities Desk has been opened in the council’s One Stop Shop at its office in Lodge Road, Daventry, manned by representatives of the local fire service and Daventry police.
The Front Office Shared Services (FOSS) project means that as well as calling into the council office to make payments, access council services and get housing advice, among other things, people can report crimes, produce driving documents and get fire safety advice.
It means both Northamptonshire Police and the town’s fire and rescue service will have an additional base in Daventry, improving the way members of the public can access services.
FOSS aims to improve people’s experience of public services and make these organisations more efficient in the way they operate. It comes after recommendations made to the Government by Sir David Varney in his December 2006 report ‘Service transformation: ‘A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for the taxpayers’.
Ian Vincent, Executive Director at Daventry District Council, said: "We are extremely pleased to be working with the police and fire service to give residents access to more services under one roof. This project not only aims to improve people's experience of public services but make our organisations more efficient in the way we operate and deliver them. We hope to encourage other organisations to join our Communities Desk as the service develops."
Chief Insp Dave Hill, of Northamptonshire Police said: "This initiative is all about enabling more people to interact with our staff and our services. In addition to the counter service we already operate at our Daventry station, the Communities Desk allows us to reach even more residents and improve consultation and community cohesion."
Barry Mullan, Deputy Community Risk Manager at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We are delighted to be part of this new partnership initiative. By working together this service will enable us to access a lot of hard-to-reach groups, such as the elderly and people with disabilities."
Police will be on the communities desk from 9am to noon Monday and Friday, with the Police Safer Communities team manning it noon to 4pm, also on Monday and Friday. The fire and rescue service will be available from 9am to 4pm, on Tuesdays only.
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