A GROUNDBREAKING scheme to house a range of vital community services under one roof has proved a huge success.

More than 6,000 customers visited the Evesham Contact Community Centre (ECCC) - the country's first one-stop-shop for police and council advice - in its first month.

The partnership - between Worcestershire County, Wychavon District and Evesham Town Councils and West Mercia Constabulary - opened on Monday, March 3, in the former Evesham Magistrates' Court building, in Abbey Road.

Since then, visitors have been dropping in with a variety of questions, 80 per cent of which have been dealt with at the counter.

"The centre is the first in the country to involve three tiers of local government and the police working together to provide joint access to services," said Wychavon's democratic services manager Amanda de Warr.

"We are delighted with the response from customers who have come through our doors making the most of our out-of-hours opening times.

"Now the first few weeks are over, it's clear to see the ECCC was much needed in the town."

Previously, the district council had a one-stop-shop in the town, the town council had its headquarters in Evesham and the police also dealt with queries at their station.

"Because the council provides a lot of services, it can be quite confusing for residents," said ECCC Manager Margaret Gormley.

"Now they can nip into the centre and we can explain on a face-to-face basis procedures like planning permission or to check if they are on the electoral roll."

Many other agencies also provide surgeries in the centre, including Age Concern, the pension service, social services and the probation service.

"Enquiries made to the staff range from asking for directions to reporting road traffic collisions," said customer advisor Heather Gardener.

"We deal with reports of nuisance neighbours, receive documents from drivers who have been stopped by officers and sometimes are asked questions which cross over into the remit of the district council.

"Having the partners under one roof is proving a success because we can give the customers the right information on the spot."

The ECCC is open from 8am to 8pm on Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.