Consultation underway on future of local registrars service

The six-week consultation, launched today, is part of Shropshire Council’s ongoing plans to redesign its face-to-face services to ensure they meet local needs in a more sustainable and cost-effective way.

There are currently 11 locations in the Shropshire Council area where registrars offer a variety of services ranging from birth and death registrations, to marriage and civil ceremonies and nationality checking.

Shropshire Council’s registrars service want to ask people about the following proposals:

Bishop’s Castle – either close the office, or run an appointment-only service
Bridgnorth – increase in appointments, if other nearby offices have to close
Church Stretton – closure of office
Ludlow – reduce the opening hours
Market Drayton – increase opening hours to 13.5 per week
Oswestry – increase opening hours to create a full-time service
Shrewsbury – remain the same
Wem – close the office
Whitchurch – increase opening hours to 13.5 per week.

The consultation asks residents:
- If they agree with the proposals for their local area?
- How do they currently access services and how will the proposals affect them?
- If they have any alternative proposals?

Karen Calder, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health, said:

“Registrars services play a vital role at key points in people’s lives, and we want to ensure they continue to serve and meet the needs of local communities in a more sustainable and cost-effective way.

“The low usage of some of our registrars offices, combined with a reduction in staff resources and future plans to use technology to enable ceremonies to be booked online, gives us an opportunity to look at how we can rationalise and reshape these services to better serve our local communities and further reduce costs.

“I would encourage everyone to get involved in the consultation; your views will help inform and shape the way in which, and where, the registrars services will be delivered in the future.”

For further information and to take part in the survey visit shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved and look for Registrars Consultation.

Closing date for feedback is Friday 26 June 2015.