Parents of newborn babies in Swindon will soon be offered a new service designed to take the hassle out of initial parenthood.
Swindon’s Register Office will be offering the Tell Us Once for Births service, which removes the need for customers to provide information to government departments on several occasions.
The service is voluntary and will be offered to all residents in the borough from Monday, 20 February. It gives the person registering the birth the option to give additional information following the birth registration, which will then be sent through to central and local government departments.
As a result, changes to council tax benefit, housing benefit, library services, Child Information Services, Working Family Tax Credits and HM Revenue and Customs can be automatically updated.
In addition, parents can bring in child benefit application forms with them and staff will verify details on the form, instead of them having to provide birth certificates. The application will then be sent off by the Register Office.
The service follows on from the Tell Us Once option for deaths which was introduced by the Register Office in June and, as well as benefitting customers, will save local and central government money by reducing the duplication of information.
Cllr Roderick Bluh, Leader of Swindon Borough Council and the cabinet member responsible for the Register Office, said: “As a parent I know how difficult it can be trying to cope with a new addition to the family and filling out the various forms that go with a birth, so I am delighted we are able to offer this new service.
“Hopefully this will give a little more peace of mind to parents and allow them to spend even more time enjoying their new arrival.”
Mamie Beasant, Superintendent Registrar, said: “We continually strive to help our clients with the paperwork that comes with a life event. This addition to our services is another way in which form filling can be reduced and I hope all new parents will make full use of this opportunity.”
The new £695,000 Register Office at the Civic Offices opened last June and the new accommodation, which will save the council £60,000 a year in rent and running costs, has access to the Rose Garden for wedding photos, while a private setting has also been created in the form of a new inner courtyard.
It also contains two smaller ceremony rooms for those seeking a more intimate occasion and there is extra space for Registrars’ rooms and modern facilities for the disabled.
For more details about the Register Office call 01793 521734 or email: superintendentregistrar@swindon.gov.uk