This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
Many service requests of the Isle of Wight Council can be met via telephone or online, and consultation showed that most people would be happy to access services in this way; 77 per cent of respondents have already used these methods to contact the council in the past.
Currently, Help Centre face-to-face customer interface services are provided full-time in Newport, and part-time in Ryde, Sandown and Freshwater.
Newport and Ryde services
In a few cases, face-to-face contact is necessary, and will, therefore, continue to be available to residents at Newport, daily, and Ryde (Monday, Tuesday and Friday) by appointment.
Isle Help CIC and the council have formed a new partnership, providing independent and council provided advice, information and guidance. It helps people and communities to make choices based on knowledge of their rights and responsibilities. This partnership is being developed further to see what additional help services they can assist the council in delivering.
Do it online
More people are using the council’s Website to manage their service enquiries flexibly, quickly, easily, and at a time that suits them. It is also the most cost-effective for the council for residents to use the website, at an average of only 15p per contact, as opposed to the average face-to-face contact of £8.62.
The continued success of the council’s rural broadband scheme will also help to ensure that more people, in more areas are able to access the internet and manage the dealings with the council at a time and place that suits them.
Use library computers
All council-run libraries on the Island offer computers for public use; so that residents who do not have their own internet access may use the library service. To use a library computer residents should become a member of the library, which is free of charge. For those new to the internet, the Adult Community Learning service provides some online courses. Details of the autumn schedule will be available soon.
Councillor Ian Stephens, Executive Member for Resources, said:
“We considered a variety of options on how to maintain and encourage interaction between the council and our residents. This option is the best one for the Island at present. We have seen a noticeable shift in more people using the Internet to contact us. Our Website answers the majority of questions that people may have previously visited us or called us for help with, and will only continue to provide a wealth of support and information.
“We have forged an excellent partnership with Isle Help CIC, and the two face-to-face customer service locations in Newport and Ryde will continue to help those who require this level of support. And of course, our telephone call centre is also still available.”
Public consultation on the proposals took place in May/June 2015, which shaped the options for customer interface services. Five Town and Parish Councils also responded to the consultation.
Image: peddhapati under CC BY 2.0
