OXFORDSHIRE County Council has acknowledged “some issues” with confusion over Oxford City Council’s public-facing services now operating from the library at Westgate.

A pilot began in January and city council staff are available from 10.30am until 3.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and people are advised to book an appointment.

“Rumours” that county staff have been intimidated by members of the public who have become frustrated by turning up to find services are not available at other times were addressed at Tuesday’s meeting of county councillors.

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Oxford Mail: Inside the library at Westgate Inside the library at Westgate

Councillor Neil Fawcett (Lib Dem, Abingdon South), the county’s cabinet member for community services and safety, admitted the intended partnership working between city and county needed refining but said: “I haven’t been informed about any issues of harassment or intimidation.”

He added: “There is an ongoing process of listening to the staff from the different organisations and I have been told about that. The overall feedback is that it is working well in principle but there are tweaks needed to opening hours and some of the issues you refer to.

“I am happy to go back and check whether there have been any specific incidents because if there have been, I would be as concerned as you clearly are having heard those rumours but as I say, I have not been informed of any such incidents yet.”

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