Adel Association

On Tuesday 15th November Leeds launched its Tell Us Once service.  This is a new initiative that has been developed between DWP and local councils that allows people to report a death or a birth to the local council and have that information automatically sent to all the relevant public sector organisations.  DWP has developed the central system that underpins the service and local councils have designed their individual approaches to providing the service.

 

In Leeds the Tell Us Once service will be delivered by Customer Services who will not only take the information to tell other agencies but will also support customers in dealing with many of the issues that can follow on from a death, particularly the death of a partner.  This will include helping with applications for single person discounts, collecting information for tenancy succession issues, helping to make claims for new entitlements etc.

 

Customer Services will be working closely with Registrars and will deliver the service in the first instance from Leeds Town Hall from 15th November.  The service will then be rolled out across One Stop Centres, where Customer Services and Registrars are co-located, from 28th November 2011.

 

The process for booking Tell Us Once appointments started last week. Everyone ringing the Council’s Contact Centre to book an appointment to register a birth or a death is told about the Tell Us Once service and given the opportunity to use the service.  GPs surgeries and Funeral Directors have also been told about the launch of the scheme in Leeds.    

 

For information, the agencies that are part of the Tell Us Once service include those listed below.  All the relevant council services have now put in place arrangements to ensure that the notifications from Tell Us Once are dealt with in a timely manner and DWP will provide reports showing how Tell Us Once is working in Leeds.  Finally, to provide reassurance customers using the service are given a receipt confirming the agencies that have been notified of the death or birth.

 

Pension Service

Jobcentre Plus

Identity and Passport Service

DVLA

Council Tax

Sundry Debts

ALMOs

Housing Benefit

Libraries

Adults Social Services

Electoral services

Blue Badge 

 

More information about the service can be found on Leeds City Council’s website at: Tell Us Once