Gateway - The Vision
Gateway is a joint initiative between Kent County Council and
the 12 district councils across Kent. It works on the belief that
what customers want, and where, should directly shape the services
they receive locally.
Back in 2003 the vision was town-centre or high-street
locations in every district across Kent, with retail-style opening
hours, comfort, convenience and customer service. The programme
started out with a focus on transforming face-to-face contact for
public service access, and began with the Ashford Gateway pilot
which opened its doors in 2005. It was envisaged that as
the Gateway program expands it will deliver a
technology-enabled network that will join up information across
multiple channels.
The vision was for each Gateway to offer its
customers access to a unique mix of services, reflecting the needs
of the community it serves. Services are delivered by a wide-range
of partners, including county and district councils, the NHS and
voluntary sector. The list of partners delivering through Gateway
changes and grows regularly.
Each Gateway is fully DDA compliant and is therefore more
accessible than traditional office settings, and all bar the
original Ashford Gateway pilot, have a Changing Place
facility.