New pilot scheme aims to help residents access services

Two community hubs are being piloted as part of Sandwell Council’s improvements to customer service, based at Central Library on West Bromwich High Street and Blackheath Library on Blackheath High Street.

Available at the hub sessions, which run between 10am and 4.30pm will be customer service advisors, a housing officer, revenue and benefits advisors via Teams and webchat, and a staff member from the Healthy Sandwell team in Public Health, plus library staff on hand to support residents who need any face-to-face support.

Sandwell Council said the two venues had been chosen because West Bromwich and Rowley Regis did not have a Local Office in operation and this ensures that residents in these areas have a face-to-face offer.

Deputy leader, and cabinet member for finance and resources, Councillor Bob Piper, said: “Our aim is to ensure we resolve queries at the first point of contact and if this is not possible then we aim to make sure the resident leaves with a clear understanding of how their query is being dealt with.

"We will also support residents to sign up to MySandwell and show them how to get in touch with the council online if they wish to try this option.

“By providing this service in local libraries, residents do not have to travel to the One Stop Shop in Oldbury to get a face-to-face service.

"We are also making the best use of our libraries where we can provide a more holistic service by signposting people to other services and information as and when required.”

The council will closely monitor the pilot, including the types and numbers of queries as well as customer satisfaction, to help inform future service decisions.

Residents can visit sandwell.gov.uk/mysandwell to sign up for a MySandwell account to request council services, report problems and track any enquiries.

For more information on other face-to-face council services across Sandwell, go to sandwell.gov.uk/locals