Residents of Huntingdonshire who call at the district council’s offices to pay their council tax by cash may soon have a more convenient way of settling their bills.
As part of proposals to enhance the way services are provided to customers in Huntingdon, St Ives and St Neots, councillors will next week start to consider a proposal to introduce a plastic payment card. Customers who would otherwise have to travel to one of the three towns to pay their cash, would be able to take the card to one of 65 locations throughout the district, have it swiped, hand over their money, and be given a receipt.
The card could be used at Post Offices and at Pay Point or Pay Zone stations in convenience stores or petrol stations. These providers also take payments for utility companies and mobile phone top-ups and are frequently used by people who use cash rather than bank accounts.
If the new arrangement is adopted it will mean that the council’s presences in St Neots and St Ives could be a more open-plan style of premises, giving a more customer service centred environment and better reflecting the huge range of inquiries that are dealt with on a day to day basis.
The proposal will be considered by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Service Support) next week and by Cabinet later in the month.
Councillor Jonathan Gray, chairman of the panel, said: “We look forward to receiving the proposal. We are always keen to identify ways in which we can improve services to customers and widen choices of how they do business with us.
“There is also the important issue of sustainability -- not having to make unnecessary journeys --- and helping to support services like Post Offices and local shops which are particularly vital in a rural area.”
Councillor Ian Bates, leader of the council, said: “This proposal is part of the much wider programme of improving our services to customers. We know from talking to customers that they wish to access services where it is convenient to them.”
A new customer service centre will be established in Huntingdon as part of the council’s new office accommodation project on the site of Pathfinder House.
Later this summer, just before work is due to start on the new buildings, a temporary customer service centre will be opened. More details about this will be published in due course.