Hull in print

She's the face of the council to dozens of members of the public every day. But behind the big smile and the bright eyes there's a story which the public don't know. Three years ago Vicki Asbrey weighed more than 23 stone and was so unhappy about her appearance that she wanted to hide herself away.

Lacking in confidence, she was relieved that she didn't have to come into contact with anybody - except the few colleagues in the North Bransholme Housing Office, where she worked as a typist. But that's all changed now - and Vicki just loves being in a place where everyone can see her and where she can meet new people all the time.

That's since she lost eight-and-a-half stone - and gained the confidence to want to face the world.

"I don't need to hide any more - and I'm really proud of myself," says Vicki. She started her new job as a customer service centre adviser at the George Street centre when it opened on January 9.

"As I started losing weight, I began to feel more confident. People thought I was stupid when I was fat, but now people take me much more seriously and listen to me more. I'm treated completely differently now - it's strange."

Her job involves anything from giving people advice about benefits and taking bill payments, to sorting out new bus passes, and taking requests for housing repairs for council tenants.

"I absolutely love it here," she says. "No day is ever the same. I'm helping people sort things out and helping them feel at ease and that makes me feel good."

Together with the George Street centre and the other brand-new centre at North Point shopping centre, Bransholme, there are now six customer service centres (CSCs) across the city. Each provides access to more than 100 different council services, and has trained and friendly staff on hand to help - just like Vicki.

Leader of Hull City Council Ken Branson said: "Customers have indicated that the second most popular way of contacting the council, after the telephone, is face-to-face - and customer service centres can offer this point of contact locally."

Council departments which can be contacted through the CSCs include waste management, street cleaning, street lighting, parks and gardens, and highways. There's also information about non-council services, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). All CSCs have disabled access, along with video-conferencing facilities, through which people can speak directly to specialist council officers on a TV screen.

Watch this space for news about two more brand-new CSCs, one in the former housing estate offices at Derringham Bank, off Willerby Road, and the other on Orchard Park Road.

The council's other customer service centres can be found at Holderness Road (next to JJB Sports), Walker Street (The Octagon), Ings Road (at the library on Savoy Road), and at Preston Road (Retail Unit B, next to the Freedom Centre).

And don't forget, each centre opens until 7pm one night per week, as follows:

Monday - George Street
Tuesday - Holderness Rd, Walker St, and Ings
Wednesday - North Point
Thursday - Preston Rd
All centres are open on Saturdays between 10am and 1.30pm


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