Lancaster City Council's Community Hub provides video appointments

Lancaster City Council’s Community Hub is providing residents with even more ways to contact the council for help, advice and support, with the launch of video appointments.
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The Lancaster District Community Hub, which was established by the council in 2020 in response to Covid-19, has transformed the way it delivers its customer services function, so it is available at a time and place that’s most convenient to residents.

Its opening hours have expanded enabling people to contact a customer service advisor by phone or email seven days a week. Advisors are now available to take calls and respond to emails from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday and at weekends from 10am to 3pm.

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Residents can also benefit from a mobile team which has been taking council services out to residents with regular pop-up events in shopping centres and supermarkets, libraries and community venues as well as the council’s Salt Ayre Leisure Centre, markets and housing hubs. From Monday, February 28, customer service advisors will also be available every Tuesday at Lancaster Town Hall and every Thursday and Friday at Morecambe Town Hall from 10am until 3pm.

Lancaster City Council customer service advisors at Morecambe Library with Councillor Dr Erica Lewis.Lancaster City Council customer service advisors at Morecambe Library with Councillor Dr Erica Lewis.
Lancaster City Council customer service advisors at Morecambe Library with Councillor Dr Erica Lewis.

The new mobile approach also means that a greater number of people can seek advice and help throughout district.

Those who are unable to attend the mobile events or want the additional privacy of speaking to an advisor can now do so from the comfort of their own home with a new video appointment system. Residents are asked to complete a short request form which enables arrangements to be made for the most appropriate member of staff to be allocated to the appointment. Appointment slots can be as long as you need.

Help is also at hand for those needing more intensive support with the availability of home visits for issues relating to council services and to signpost people to other specialist organisations if necessary.

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Councillor Dr Erica Lewis, cabinet member with responsibility for customer services, said: "Through the pandemic our customer services team became the heart of the city council's community hub reaching out and offering support as widely as possible. As COVID restrictions lift, this work will continue with the team offering more ways for residents to get in touch by being at a roster of community sites and improved digital services as well as maintaining more traditional offerings of popping into the town hall or giving us a call.

"I'm grateful to council officers who through pandemic and storm have been willing to work flexibly and creatively to best serve our residents."

For more information on how to contact the council, where you’ll find the council’s mobile team each week or to book a video appointment, visit here