A mobile “one stop shop” in the form of an all purpose mini bus is bringing local services to people’s doorsteps in Monmouthshire.
The aim of the service is to reach isolated communities and provide the same direct contact that they would receive in any one of the council’s four one stop shops in Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth. The bus is fitted with a tail-lift to assist wheelchair users and is equipped with a laptop, scanner, printer and mobile phone. Staff on duty can provide refuse bags, forms and leaflets and will take a log of all enquiries for action and requests for service.
As well as council officers, other organisations have been invited to promote their services. The Red Cross and Tax for Older People have already been involved, attending a recent session in Raglan.
So far, the bus has taken in Usk, Llangybi, Little Mill, Goetre, Trelech and Pandy with many more areas planned for a visit. Already, a large number of queries have been logged and useful feedback has been received. The bus is funded by the county’s local services board – a body which brings together local councils, the health service, police, the voluntary sector and housing services
Monmouthshire County Council’s Customer Access Manager, Tim Macdermott said: “Working in partnership with the Local Service Board, Monmouthshire County Council is delivering community services to rural communities. This exciting rural access project will be evaluated after a six month period to assess how well the service is used.”
