Open All Hours was launched by Ian McCartney, at the Cabinet Office, on 15 March 2001. We will be adding case-studies to this site to showcase what other public services are doing to meet the demand for extended service hours. Here are our first contributions from Liverpool Direct and Merton Library and Heritage Service. It offers good practice advice to public sector information providers and policy makers at all levels and will help to ensure that departments and agencies are aware of the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. It explains the benefits to be gained from these schemes, how they fit together and how they can help deliver Government policy on the ground.
Practical experience is illustrated through a range of examples taken from across the public sector.
Much of this experience is relevant across the board and not just those areas they have been drawn from. Over the last few months the Charter Mark policy team have been considering the future of the scheme and what, if any, changes should be made. Issues and suggestions have been brought together in a consultation paper. The Charter Mark team are keen to obtain as wide a range of responses as possible. Your views would be most welcome.