Cllr Kabir Ahmed at the launch of the Professional Development Centre
More than 18,000 residents have visited our five new Residents’ Hub which were only introduced in the borough this year.
In the last nine months, visits to our Residents’ Hub located throughout the borough, have exceeded expectations.
Residents are benefiting from the council’s new approach to customer service where you have the choice to access services, how you want – digitally, in person or over the phone.
The council introduced its first Customer Experience Strategy in October to ensure residents are put at the centre of everything we do and receive an excellent customer journey no matter which channel they use to contact us.
The Residents’ Hubs are based at:
- Town Hall in Whitechapel
- Idea Store Bow
- Idea Store Chrisp Street
- Cubitt Town Library in the Isle of Dogs
- Professional Development Centre in Bethnal Green
The Hubs provide a safe and comfortable space for residents to access services for a range of issues from council tax, benefits, employment advice and housing.
Resident Louise Pughe visited a Residents’ Hub to have her Disabled Freedom Pass renewed. After being delt with swiftly she said: "Really brilliant service. Thank you so much."
Another resident Thomas James Davis added: "Excellent service, got me out of a worrying period. Very professional people and understanding people."
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets said:
“We are a listening council and despite the call to force everyone to move online and access services digitally there are many residents who feel more comfortable picking up the phone and speaking to a person or speaking to an officer face to face to resolve their issues.
“Sometimes residents’ have complex issues which are not easily dealt with a form, and it is only fair to have other channels open to residents as one size does not fit all."
Cllr Kabir Ahmed who has responsibility for Customer Services added:
“The council is dedicated to helping residents access the support they need and understand the frustration of being passed from one service to another and having to explain your query again and again.
“This is why our Residents’ Hub provides a holistic approach and we aim to deal with your enquiry from a single point of contact. We have advisers from other services based at the Town Hall and work with a range of services so we can resolve your queries quickly and efficiently.”
During March – November, the five hubs have seen 18,867 residents made 7,841 referrals and resolved 7,760 queries at first point of contact.
The most popular areas of concern are help with housing followed by council tax and parking enquiries.
If you are looking for support and are unable to get it over the phone or online, you can visit one of the hubs.
You don’t need an appointment to access the service, so feel free to drop in. However, please note that the hub at the Town Hall is available by appointment only. Find details of your nearest Residents’ Hub here
The Residents’ Hubs will not operate during Christmas week. They will close on Friday 22 December at 4.30pm and reopen on Tuesday 2 Jan at 9am.
Posted on Wednesday 20th December 2023