Liverpool City Council has closed its three remaining One Stop Shops – Garston, Kirkdale and the City Centre One Stop Shop – with immediate effect.
It means all the council’s One Stop Shops are now closed for the foreseeable future.
The decision has been taken to ensure the health and wellbeing of the public and council staff, following the Prime Minister’s announcement on tough new Coronavirus measures restricting people’s movements for the next three weeks.
Customers are asked to use the council’s website – www.liverpool.gov.uk – to access a range of council services, from applying for a blue badge to getting help with benefits.
Anyone without internet access can call the council’s contact centre on 0151 233 3001. Lines are open from 8am until 6pm, seven days a week. To help us protect the vulnerable and those most in need, customers are urged to only call if it is urgent.
For the small number of customers who usually collect Liverpool Citizens Support Scheme vouchers in person from our One Stop Shops, the council is looking urgently at alternative arrangements. All customers with a smartphone, can receive vouchers by text.
For licensing taxis
We are asking taxi drivers to scan documents or take clear photographs of the following documents: a copy of their MOT, compliance certificate, insurance certificate, V5 log book and one form of ID (either a valid passport or current driving license) and then send them to: regulatory.licensing@liverpool.gov.uk.
They need to include their contact details (email/mobile phone number) too.
A member of the licensing team will then call the driver directly to take the payment of £170 over the phone within five days. Once documents have been verified, the council will email them a letter, which will allow their vehicle to continue to work. This is a temporary measure and plates will be issued once normal business resumes.
For drivers renewing their licence:
If a driver has completed all pre-application steps and has summited their renewal successfully via Personnel Checks and has reached the stage where they would normally book an appointment at the one stop shop they should now follow these steps:
Send scans or clear photographs of the documents (DBS certificate, medical, LSP2, driving licence) to regulatory.licensing@liverpool.gov.uk Drivers also need to provide their DVLA code to enable licensing officers to check their driving licence as well as a contact phone number.
The fee of £120 must be paid over the phone. A member of the licensing team will call the driver directly to take payment within five days
Once the licensing officers have verified all the documents they will issue the driver with a letter permitting them to continue to work as a licensed driver. When normal service resumes all drivers will be contacted to be issued with their renewal licence.
For Blue Badges and parking permits, the application and renewal process is detailed on our website.
Liverpool city council has also lifted parking restrictions in the city centre, and has closed all libraries as part of its response to the pandemic.
And to ensure key workers can continue to provide essential services to the public, the council is now operating 50 school hubs across the city so their children can continue to attend school whilst they go to work.
For the latest information and advice, Liverpool City Council has also set up an online portal – www.liverpool.gov.uk/coronavirus.
There are also dedicated social media feeds at www.facebook.com/covidliverpool and www.twitter.com/covidliverpool