Rutland County Council's main office in Oakham will reopen for pre-booked appointments from today, Wednesday the 23rd of February.

The Council confirmed that its Catmose office building would be temporarily closed to customers in December, following the reintroduction of national 'work from home' guidance issued by the UK Government in response to concerns about the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

From Wednesday 23 February, customers will be able to book an in-person appointment at the Council's offices if they are unable to resolve their query online, by email or over the phone.

Saverio Della Rocca, Director for Resources at Rutland County Council, said: "After using the COVID lockdowns to improve our online services like MyAccount and FixMyStreet, we're encouraging customers to go online first, if they need to contact us. If you can't find what you need on our website, you can get in touch with us by email or phone.

"If, for any reason, we can't resolve your query this way, we can then book you an appointment at our offices, so you can be certain of a meeting with the right council officer."

He added: "There will always be specialist staff at our offices who can assist if you're in distress or need urgent help. In all other cases, we ask that you go online, email or call first. Arranging an appointment before visiting means we can help people to avoid wasted journeys by travelling to see us when the right officer is not available."

Rutland County Council's MyAccount service allows people living in Rutland to access information about things like bin collections, local roads and Council Tax, through their own individual online account.

Through MyAccount you can:

Get customised information about your home and local area

Tell the Council about issues with waste bins, waste collections and recycling

Give feedback and ask questions.

You can find out more about MyAccount and how to use this service by visiting the Rutland Council website. The Council's website also has a handy directory with quick links and phone numbers for many key services, like planning, housing and blue badge applications.

From today, Wednesday the 23rd of February, residents will once again be able to access a free-to-use telephone and computers in the Council's customer self-service area. However, residents are reminded that the Council no longer operates a manned customer service desk for those without an appointment.

Rutland County Council's main address for email enquiries is: [email protected].

The Council's customer call centre is open for telephone enquiries from 9.00am to 12.30pm and 2.00pm to 5.00pm Monday to Thursday.

Phone lines close at 4.30pm on Friday. The number to call to speak to someone is: 01572 722 577.

Read more about upcoming council plans here.

Alternatively, find out how you can claim a Council Tax Energy Rebate worth £150 here.

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