MANAGEMENT consultancy firm Capita is aiming to help Bolton Council improve the way it delivers its services to the public.

The firm has been appointed to help the council carry out the first phase of work in the authority's Customer Relationship Strategy. The strategy means that anyone wanting to communicate with the council by phone or e-mail will have a single point of contact. It also involves the setting up of a One Stop Shop in Bolton Town Centre.

The council already runs such a centre in Farnworth Town Hall.

Customers no longer have to trail from one department to another to get their inquiries answered but have them dealt with at one point by one person. Executive member for best value and special projects, Cllr Michael Kilcoyne said: "This is a major rethink of the way the council works and is all about improving the way we deal with our customers.

"It can be incredibly frustrating for people to pay their council tax in one part of the town hall, go up to the third floor to have their planning inquiry answered and then find that they have to go to a separate building altogether for their housing inquiry."