In January 2022, Oxford City Council’s face-to-face customer services moved to Oxfordshire County Library in at Westgate Oxford.
For the last 18 months the three-day-a-week service, in partnership with those offered by Citizens’ Advice and Oxfordshire County Council at the same venue, has proved a success at delivering a service for Oxford’s more vulnerable citizens. During that time there have been over 6800 face-to-face visits from citizens. We have now agreed terms for a further three year lease.
Listening to feedback
We invited all of our citizens using this service to leave feedback about their visit; 99.9% of these were happy to do so, with 98% saying they were satisfied with the service, making the library location a runaway success for all. The City Council is pleased to confirm work is about to start on a new space within the library that will offer better privacy and more confidentiality.
There will be disruption to services provided by the City Council and Citizens Advice while the building work is undertaken, and we would ask that you only consider visiting if you have an urgent enquiry that cannot be dealt with over the telephone. During this time residents can contact the City Council through the City Council's website or by phoning the Contact Centre on 01865 249811.
Business as usual will resume from Monday 31 July. Opening hours are listed on the Contact Us webpage.
“The Customer Service move to Oxfordshire County Library has proved a great success, but we’re not resting on our laurels. Working in collaboration with our partners to provide better services to citizens is right at the heart of our Citizen Experience Strategy, and this is therefore clearly the way forward.
“We want to improve the service, and we’ll be doing that by providing more private areas for face-to-face meetings. There will be some short-term disruption but I’m sure our service users will understand that this minor inconvenience will lead to an improved service for at least the next three years at Oxfordshire County Library.”
Councillor Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies
“There is huge benefit in working alongside the City and County Councils at the library and it is a great central location for residents to access the support they need. The new area will have greater privacy, which will be appreciated for those clients needing help who may have to share personal information about their health, income, money, employment problems or relationship breakdown.”
Chris O’Hare, Chief Officer at Citizens Advice
“We’re pleased to be extending this collaborative working arrangement with Oxford City Council, which has been a great success so far.
“Public libraries are places for local communities to meet; a safe and welcoming space to learn and provide opportunities for connection and enjoyment. Offering these services in our county library provides Oxford residents with an easily accessible and friendly environment to seek support that they need.”
Mark McCree, Service Manager for Libraries and Heritage at Oxfordshire County Council
Rate this page
