Minister in contact with OneVale
A range of local government issues were on the agenda when
Minister for Social Justice and Local Government Dr Brian Gibbons
paid a fact-finding visit to the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
Following talks with council leader Cllr
Gordon Kemp and chief executive John Maitland Evans, the Welsh
Assembly minister visited the Barry Leisure Centre-based contact
centre, Contact OneVale, where he spoke to a range of
personnel.
The contact centre is at the heart of the
council's ambitious and visionary OneVale programme which is based
around the imaginative use of latest technology.
The contact centre is simplifying access to
all council services and resolving enquiries more efficiently than
ever before, and Cllr Kemp said: "The minister was very pleased
with the progress that has been made on a challenging programme.
The programme aims to help the council achieve excellence in
service delivery and customer focus and, indeed, become one of the
best local authorities in the UK."
An independent assessment of OneVale by the
Audit Office referred to "significant efficiency savings" that have
already been achieved, and Cllr Kemp added: "The essence of OneVale
is to put customers centre stage and enable them to make sense of
the public service maze and have enquiries of a variety of services
dealt with on one contact - 'one and done'."
Following his visit, Dr Gibbons said:
“Councils are closer to the public than any other government tier.
It is essential that the council is the first point of call for
local people and the centre achieves excellent customer service
through its knowledgeable staff, who are trained to answer queries
in a fast and effective manner.
“The OneVale programme shows the dedication
that Vale council is showing to people of the area.”
“The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to
councils throughout Wales. The implementation of new programmes
such as OneVale are important to ensure councils can serve
their people with a well-organised approach.”