A NEW online forms system launched by Oldham Council aims to provide residents with a quicker, efficient and cost-effective service.
Residents will now need to apply for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, as well as register changes in circumstances, through the council website.
The new online system aims to provide a simpler, comprehensive, easier and an enhanced secure process.
Staff at Access Oldham will be on hand to help with queries about the new e-forms and provide support with the applications on computers.
They will continue to process paper-based claims until Friday, October 3, 2014 – with online claim forms the only process available from Monday, October 6, 2014.
If residents cannot get access to a home PC or Access Oldham, there are free computers and Wi-Fi in Access Oldham and all libraries.
Councillor Arooj Shah, Deputy Cabinet Member for Policy and Communications, said: “Residents have told us they want to access services that suit them and offer a quicker process.
“The electronic form is designed for a more accurate completion than a paper form and it will provide a faster completion time.
“Residents will receive an answer about their claim quickly and immediately given a clear checklist of the evidence they need to provide to complete the claim.
“In this first week we have already received 190 new claims and 178 changes of circumstances.
“It will also allow us to make savings as we have to make £60 million in savings over the next two financial years.”
He added: “We want to help residents as much as possible throughout this change which we feel will enhance our service and reach out to all our communities.
“If residents want some help with getting online council services including the Housing Benefit form, our ‘do it online’ team, will be available in Access Oldham.
“There are also free online courses across the borough at libraries and Lifelong Learning centres.”
Access Oldham is located at Oldham Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham and is open weekdays from 8.40am-5pm – except Wednesdays (9.30am-5pm).
The “do it online” teams are available in Access Oldham and in five borough libraries until 23 December: Mondays at Oldham Library (1-3.30pm); Tuesdays at Crompton Library (1-3.30pm); Wednesdays at Failsworth Library (9.30am-12noon), Thursdays at Chadderton Library (9.30am-12noon) and Fridays at Lees Library (1-3.30pm).
