Council wants to improve customer service

People living in Bath and north east Somerset are being asked how their local council can improve its communications service.

Council Connect is the customers service arm of the council and is the first point of contact for residents.

Council Connect offices are at Riverside in Keynsham, The Guildhall in Bath, Trimbridge House in Bath and The Hollies in Midsomer Norton.

The council's corporate performance and resources scrutiny panel is interested in hearing from residents already using the service to find out how it can be improved.

The panel is also interested in hearing from residents who do not currently use the Council Connect service to find out which they don't use it.

An online survey has been set up for people to give their views.

These surveys can be found at www.tinyurl.com/61287j.

To build upon the survey information, the panel will also be organising a series of focus groups for the beginning of March to provide an open forum to discuss people's experiences and to hear people's views on improving the service. Details of the date and venue of these focus groups will soon be advertised.

Panel chairman Councillor David Dixon (Lib Democrat, Walcot) said: "We really want to look at this from the perspective of our residents.

"We want to find out if the services currently available suit people. It might be that some find it difficult to get in touch via the phone during office hours, or don't have email or web access. And importantly we also want people's experience and feedback on the type of service they get when they do use Council Connect."