This morning I went down to the Library to pay my Council Tax for the first time, not entirely sure what the set up would be when I got there.
According to the Post magazine: "local people will be able to recieve a wider range of council services from the library, as part of a project to bring together more services under one roof."
It's a phone.
So none of the services are on offer actually at the Library, apart from spare bin bags. You just get a phone line to an office somewhere else. This means that I had to read out the number of my council tax account, followed by my credit card details, in the middle of the library, where anyone could overhear.
And if I had a problem for the Council to solve, I would have to tell them on the phone, in the middle of the library, where anyone could overhear.
I was not impressed.
I also don't understand how it is more efficient to then send me the receipt of payment by post, when previously it has been printed out and in my hand instantly.
The person responsible for this bright idea is Councillor Liam Fitzpatrick, Powys County Council's Cabinet Member for Change, Communication and Performance. He is quoted as saying: "this project shows that Powys County Council is unafraid to review the way in which we deliver services and we will change where we can deliver them more efficiently." He expects to save £100,000 for the Council when other libraries have the same set up.
As a Cabinet Member, too, he'll be one of the ones who recently got a 40% pay rise.
I could pay online, or apparently if I had a blue card I could pay at the Post Office, and I'm sure that this is what the Council actually wants people to do. Then they can say there's no demand for their "Library +" and it will quietly disappear.
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5 comments:
Grrrr, bloody Grrrrrrrrr!
Here's the answer I got from Councillor Liam Fitzpatrick.
Looks like we're stuck with the phone in the library.
Dear Ms Arrowsmith,
Thank you for your email.
I am sorry that your experience using the Library+ service at Hay, didn't meet your expectations.
My understanding is that there are several ways in which you can pay your council tax:
- the librarian could take your card and process your payment, without you having to read out your card details
- you can use the direct line to the payment line, within the library
- you can call the payment line from the comfort of your own home, on local rate number 01597 827461 or 0845 602 7031
- make your payment using our 'on-line service' from your home or one of the ibrary computers, using the enclosed link
http://payments.powys.gov.uk/epay/cgi-bin/pccwebpayhome.pl
- we can order you a council tax payment card which will allow you to pay by cash using the post office or local store using 'paypoint'
- pay by direct debit
The Council needs to save over 16 million pounds, over the next few years, and therefore we have no alternative but to change the way in which we work and deliver our services. Migrating Customer Services into the Library at Hay alone, has saved the Authority £22,000 per annum, and you can therefore appreciate that in replicating this across Powys, where appropriate, that this goes some way towards achieveing our target.
I hope that this explains the reasoning behind the Library+ project, and at the same time offering you some alternative ways to make your Council tax payment. Should you wish to discuss the matter further, or if you have any further problems, please do not hesitate to contact me or Julie Nicholas-Humphreys, Customer Service Manager on 01597 826036.
Kind regards ,
Liam.
And here's the reply to my reply, in which I said that the librarian on duty just showed me the phone, and didn't mention that he could take the payment.
Dear Ms Arrowsmith,
Thank you for bringing to my attention that the librarian did not offer to take the payment for your Council Tax, I am obviously dissapointed that this was the case, and please accept my sincere apologies. I will raise the matter with the project implementation team, with the view, that this is raised with the member of staff concerned, and clarified with all staff who are delivering the service.
I appreciate your concerns in relation to access to council services, however, please be assured, that it is not our intention to remove these services from Hay, but merely to implement different ways of delivering them. Unfortunately, we are limited with the space that we have available in some of our buildings, but again, I will raise the privacy matter with the project team, and request that they consider this matter, as part of their ongoing review.
Regards,
Liam
a HOW much pay increase..............?
The "Cabinet" of Powys County Council was composed of 15 people, out of all the councillors. Now that has been reduced to 10 but the money to pay them has remained the same. Thus a 40% pay rise.
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