Do you understand which Council is responsible for which service?  Some people regard access to Council services as difficult, unnecessarily complicated and confusing.  We recognised some of these difficulties and the fact that some authorities were not adequately represented in the town and created a Help Point.  A “One Stop Shop”, literally on the High Street, to provide a simple, convenient, customer friendly access point for local government services.  Since the Help Point opened in 1996 the range of services provided and partners have increased considerably.

The Town Council is the first tier of local government and as such closest to the community.  The creation of the Help Point at this level, closest to the community, was very logical.  Not only does it act as the focal point in the town but it also links to the Town Council's primary roles of community development and amenity maintenance.  Issues raised by customers coming in to the Help Point can be dealt with directly by the Mobile Maintenance Team or, where appropriate, included in one of the many community development initiatives.

The two main partners in the Help Point are West Sussex County Council and Mid Sussex District Council.  The County Council is responsible for strategic services such as Education, Social Services, Highways and Trading Standards.  The District Council remit covers Local Planning, Environmental Health and Leisure Services.  Staff from some of these departments undertake weekly surgery sessions at the Help Point in order to give customers direct access, whereas others are available via video link or telephone.  In addition, the Help Point provides a full Tourist Information service and has partnership arrangements with the following organisations:

West Sussex County Council

Mid Sussex District Council

Sussex Enterprise

Pensions Service

West Sussex Primary Care Trust

Downland Housing Group

Tourism South East

The Help Point staff are fully trained with all the partner organisations and provide a wealth of knowledge and information.  Customer primacy is our aim and we pride ourselves in providing a quality service.  If you have yet to visit the Help point come and see us, if you have and believe we can further improve our services please tell us.

For further information on the role of the Help Point contact our  Help Point Manager,  Liz Clark.