The pilot projects were asked to set up a single advice point providing detailed information on all the relevant consents given by the authority together with basic information and contact points for those consents given by other bodies. The four pilot authorities chose to provide initial information and advice in quite different ways. These are described in the box opposite. These issues are discussed in turn below. 3.2 Deciding where to locate the information service Authorities will generally have a physical point, such as a reception area or enquiry desk, staffed by administrative or clerical officers, where users without appointments can seek information.
Some authorities have specialist information offices or shops.
Authorities will also receive enquiries by telephone. It is important that users receive a service of equivalent quality, whether they come in person or use the phone. A first stage in reviewing the provision of initial information is to assess the relative importance of the two channels, in terms of the volume of initial enquiries which they handle. The following factors will then need to be considered in deciding the nature of the service to be provided. Not surprisingly, the majority of initial enquiries about business development are made by telephone.