Stalham Help and Advice Surgeries End

North Norfolk District Council's twice-monthly surgeries at Stalham for people with benefits, council tax, business rates and other inquiries will finish this month after almost three years.

The last such surgery will take place next Tuesday, 13 December, at Stalham Library, from 10am to 12 noon.

The help and advice surgeries have been run in towns across North Norfolk in the last few years in an attempt to improve people's access to important services.

But they all suffered from dwindling interest from the public, becoming less and less well-used. The demand lasted longest at Stalham, where the surgery was one of the first too be launched and is the last to close.

The surgeries have seen NNDC staff helping with questions about housing and council tax benefits, council tax, business rates, debt recovery, rail and bus passes, and car park season tickets (including taking non-cash payments).

NNDC's Customer Services Officer Maureen Wells said: "The surgeries have been a valuable experiment for us, but more importantly we do hope they have been useful to some people. We are always trying to improve the quality of our customer service, and although the surgeries proved not to be very popular, they have given us experience we can learn from."

Anyone wishing to give feedback about the surgeries is welcome to call Mrs Wells on 01263 516116 or by email at mwells@north-norfolk.gov.uk

ENDS