A NEW town hall department is being set up which will offer a wide range of advice and help to people in Blackburn and Darwen.

Details of the service are included in the council's white paper on rights advice and entitlement.

The department will offer advice and help on the complete range of services offered by Blackburn with Darwen Council when it becomes a unitary authority next spring.

Residents in the borough will get guidance on paying their council tax, help with filling in forms for school and college grants and information on state benefits. The new department will cover the work currently carried out by Lancashire County Council's advice service.

Areas covered by the new department will include:

State benefits including housing benefit and income support.

Customer services.

The town's advice centre.

School related benefits and grants.

Further and higher education grants.

Welfare rights.

Social services benefits.

Rights, advice and entitlements chairman Maureen Bateson said: "Our aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone in the borough and ensure that all local people have equal access to the best possible help, information and advice.

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