A COUNCIL is set to spend £8.9million in the next ten years improving the way its services are delivered to the public.

Blackburn with Darwen has drawn up the spending plan to bolster its reputation after a one-off "mystery shopping exercise" revealed only 59 per cent of people were happy with its services.

Money will be spent on a 'b-direct' programme which will include a contact centre and two one-stops shops; one in Blackburn and one in Darwen.

And the council is going to invest in retraining staff and upgrading its computer systems.

Town Hall bosses hope this will lead to more flexible opening hours, better customer service and inquiries being dealt with during the first point of contact.

Instead of making several telephone calls to different departments about the same inquiry, dedicated staff will ensure information is passed to the appropriate channels.

Residents will also be able to use self-service kiosks and the foyer of the Town Hall in Town Hall Street is set to be refurbished making it more user friendly.

Council leader Sir Bill Taylor said the foyer was regularly crowded with people and he hoped the new initiatives would mean fewer people turned up at the Town Hall.

"This is about how we deal with people and how are services are delivered.

"Those people who want to queue up to pay their council tax bills by hand will still be able to do so, but we are trying to encourage people to access service in a more modern way." The modernisation programme will see residents able to access service by e-mail, fax, telephone, e-mail or the internet. New technology will also track the progress of enquiries.

The initiative is set to be rubber stamped at a meeting of the council's executive committee on Thursday. A report said: "The b-direct approach will expand the ways and times that customers can contact the council.

"Small-scale call centres and one-stop shops already exist. These will be linked to give a joined-up service. This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the services delivered.

"The council is keen that all contacts will be handled under a unified structure and in the same way, regardless of the contact method or location."

Conservative opposition councillor Colin Rigby said: "We hope the new system will be better and easier for people to use.

"Occasionally councillors struggle to find the right person to answer an inquiry so it must be a nightmare for members of the public sometimes."