WEEKEND WEB: One-stop shop is just the job

CABINET CALL: A weekly column written by members of South Holland District Council’s Cabinet. This week with: Coun Malcolm Chandler, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Strategy, Governance, and Transformation Governance

After several months of hard work and refurbishment at the South Holland District Council offices on Priory Road, the co-location of the Jobcentre Plus is now complete.

I’m delighted to welcome the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to our offices and staff from both the DWP and the council have already been working together closely to offer improved services to residents.

The feedback from customers to the new Jobcentre Plus has been positive.

I would encourage anyone looking for employment to make use of this excellent service and there are currently job opportunities in a number of sectors including hospitality, retail, cleaning, care work, security, logistics and administration.

The construction work was undertaken by Lindum Group. Existing space was remodelled to create new offices, including several self-service and assisted-service desks.

In total Lindum Group had a team of 15 local tradespersons involved, all from within 30 miles of Spalding.

Site agent Luke Scotney is a Spalding lad and apprentice carpenter Charlie Wells gained valuable joinery experience on the job. All tradespersons were professional and efficient throughout the project.

The project to co-locate with the DWP is part of a national programme to offer an increasingly joined-up public service to residents.

For the council it was also part of a move to ensure most economic use of office space. The space already hosted the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and the SHDC Customer Services team, with the SHDC Housing Team also located nearby.

Adding the Jobcentre Plus is part of a plan to create a community hub to provide frontline services to residents and allow staff from related services to share knowledge and experience.

The council is also working together with the DWP to host an annual Jobs Fair which will be held on May 1 at the Castle Sports Complex. I would encourage anyone looking for work to come along and meet with local businesses that are looking to actively recruit suitable employees.

Previously...

COUN GARY PORTER: Reasons to be cheerful about employment