BOLTON Council’s ‘one stop shop’ has re-opened in the town hall – with more computers and self-service terminals but fewer members of staff.

The changes to the one stop shop – which closed in September 2013 for the refurbishments – were unveiled yesterday by the Mayor of Bolton Cllr Carole Swarbrick.

Council chiefs believe the new service represents an improvement – with more computers available but with members of the public still able to get face-to-face help if they need it.

Council leader Cllr Cliff Morris said: “I’m delighted to open this new one stop shop, which brings together more council services than ever for the people of Bolton.

“As part of our commitment as a council to provide services for the most vulnerable, members of staff provide a cheery welcome and help for those residents who need it.

"However, there is also a computer area for residents not in need of as much help to use our website to report issues and carry out transactions.”

The one stop shop is now accessible to the public from the West Entrance of the town hall in Le Mans Crescent.

The previous facility offered limited computer access and more face-to-face contact.

The council says the focus of the new service is to provide self-service technology and support to enable customers to complete transactions independently.

The core purpose of the facility is to allow taxpayers to access council and other services directly in a central location.

Residents visit the one stop shop for a variety of reasons ranging from a quick query about bins to serious issues such as social care.

When residents enter the new-look facility, they will be greeted by a member of staff and guided to use one of the “self-service check-in terminals”.

This self-service option will issue a ticket and instructions for both appointments and drop-in customers.

People will be able to track the progress of their ticket through large wall screens, and this will indicate to them where their ticket is in the queue.

There will also be a number of computer terminals, where customers will be supported by members of staff to complete their own online transactions, such as paying council tax, searching for a job, applying for benefits and looking for a home.

The one stop shop has also been expanded to house a number of other council services including taxi licensing, housing services and The Workshop, for job hunters.

The registrars department has also moved from Mere Hall to the town hall in order to allow people to register births and deaths and book civil services.