New service cuts red tape and stress

The Tell Us Once service will vastly improve the way important information is shared between public services in Staffordshire and with some other public sector service providers. The county's 10 local authorities are all involved in the service, which allows residents to report deaths to public sector services just once and will be expanded next year to include births.

Before the new service started, a bereaved resident had to register the death with the registrar and then contact several other council departments - such as council tax, housing benefits and the electoral roll. But now, after registering the death, the registrar will be able to help residents pass on information to the relevant council departments and other public sector service providers such as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Identity and Passport Service and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, in just one contact.

The service is underpinned by an IT system rolled out by the DWP to authorities nationwide and implemented in Staffordshire by the partnership. Residents can use the service face to face with the registrar, or by making a phone call to DWP.  But the service will expand to allow people to report a death online.

Partnership chair and Lichfield councillor Colin Greatorex said: "We've done away with the red tape that usually confronts a person wanting to report a change in circumstances. In a single appointment at their local authority, a person can notify all the relevant government departments and service authorities of their circumstances".

With 575,000 deaths and 770,000 births nationally every year, Tell Us Once is expected to save customers £66m over the next 10 years. Ninety five per cent of UK local authorities will be providing the service by next March while 99.5 per cent of people surveyed said they trusted Tell Us Once.