This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Orkney one-stop shop
02/08/2004
Orkney Islands Council Customer Services Centre, which
received £900,000 from the Executive's Modernising
Government Fund, was officially opened today by Public
Services Minister Andy Kerr.
The Centre, located in the former East Kirk premises in
Kirkwall is a one-stop shop providing reception, cash
payments, telephone and web enquiry support systems
handling an average of 200 visitors a day and taking in
excess of 1,000 phone calls each day.
Future development includes a community website
accessible from all rural and remote communities in Orkney
that will serve the needs of local people.
The Minister said:
"I would like to congratulate Orkney Islands Council on
the transformation of these premises, which were nothing
more than a shell when I previously visited the project in
May 2002, and for the real progress they have made in their
delivery of modern services focussed on the customer.
"The Customer Service One-Stop Shop demonstrates the
benefits ease of access to improved public services can
have on a community.
"It is particularly important in a place like the Orkney
Islands where the people looking to use council services
could face long and difficult journeys to access
information and services.
"Delivering improved public services is all about the
people who use them and we must listen to them and respond
to their needs - I believe this has already been achieved
here in Orkney and in many other areas across Scotland.
"The Executive is committed to building on these
achievements through our Modernising Government Fund and I
was pleased that we were able to provide £900,000 to help
part-fund this initiative.
"Partnership working is fundamental to providing
excellent public services and this project is an excellent
example of what can be achieved."
In addition to the £900,000 from the Executive, the
council provided £497,217 from its own resources.
Orkney has also received £210,078 under the second round
of the Modernising Government Fund for 2002-04 for work on
a number of programmes, including Dialogue Youth, Land and
Property and ScotXed projects and has applied for a total
of £2.6 million from the MGF 3 fund.