ALL telephone calls to Test Valley Borough Council will be answered in Andover - following a shake-up in the way the authority deals with the public.

The aim is to modernise, provide a better service and keep up with standards set by private companies and other local authorities.

Other plans include establishing a customer services unit to handle face-to-face cashiering, telephone and electronic inquiries with so called 'one stop shops' at Beech Hurst, Andover and Duttons Road in Romsey.

"Our main motivation is to provide a better service rather than save money but in the longer term it is likely it will be more cost effective," said head of revenues, David Matthews, at a meeting of the council's executive. "We have to change - people can contact their bank or insurance company at any time but not their local authority."

Staff manning the CSU's will be able to answer 80 per cent of inquiries enabling other employees to get on with their jobs without continual interruption.

Making services available from a single point will do away with the need to send callers to other offices and end the 'we don't deal with that here' culture, says a report to the council's executive.

On a typical day the council receives more than 1,000 calls.