Watford Borough Council has announced that it is reopening the Town Hall

Watford Borough Council announced yesterday that it is reopening the Town Hall on a limited basis from Wednesday 2 September.

To ensure the protection of both staff and customers, significant Covid-19 health and safety measures will be in place.

Council officers are working hard behind the scenes to ensure that the new safety measures will put visitors’ minds at ease, while still creating a friendly, welcoming environment in the reception area. The Town Hall will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays (from 8:45am to 5:15pm) and Fridays (from 8:45am to 4:45pm) only.

As the service will initially be very limited, there will be no drop-in service for council tax, benefits or housing requirements and because of the additional social distancing measures that will be in place, the council is continuing to encourage residents to use its online and telephone services wherever possible.

There will be changes to the numbers of people that can be accommodated in the Town Hall, this may mean you have to queue to enter the building.

When entering the town hall, you will also be asked for your full name, address and contact information for track and trace purposes. This information will be kept for a minimum of 21 days before being destroyed.

Several changes have been made to the ground floor of the building and how the council operates to ensure your safety and the safety of staff. These include:

• Health and safety measures will be implemented: essential signage, hand sanitising stations, perspex screens, deep cleaning and other necessary arrangements.
• Face coverings must be worn by staff and customers (except those who are exempt)
• You will have to sanitise your hands on entering and exiting the building and officers will sanitise surfaces after every visitor.
• A one-way system will be in place to ensure social distancing.

o   The front / inwards entrance will be the door located near the Watford War Memorial and Library. The back / outwards entrance will be via the Town Hall Car Park. People who use wheelchairs can use the back entrance upon request.

• There will be no self-service computers

Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor said “I’m extremely proud of Watford Council staff, who have continued to provide vital services for people in our town throughout the pandemic. I know that we have all been adapting to changes and new ways of working and many residents have been making use of our telephone and online services.  Many people rely on being able speak to a member of our staff face-to-face and I am so I am pleased that we are now able to offer this again. I would encourage everyone visiting the Town Hall to protect themselves and others by wearing a face covering and following the new systems that are in place.”

A wide range of council services, including paying bills and reporting a problem, can be accessed on the council’s website through smartphones, tablets and computers. Our new customer self-service portal ‘MyWatford’ gives you real-time information on your rubbish, recycling and garden waste collections, council tax account and much more. You can access this via www.watford.gov.uk