Councils have been urged by the Government to help simplify form-filling by the public. Pensions secretary, James Purnell, called for better joined-up working between councils and government agencies with the announcement of a pilot scheme to enable people to confirm a change in their circumstances with just one visit or phone call. The scheme aims to ensure people only use one contact when registering a birth or death. There are also plans to extend this to cover change of address. The new cross-government service is between the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue & Customs, local authorities, Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). Ministers also hope the initiative will strengthen links at local levels between departments still heavily focused on silo working. The initiative should also reduce identity fraud. Mr Purnell said: ‘People often have to repeat and verify the same information several times when reporting a birth or death. They may have to spend time making repeat phone calls, posting certificates and visiting offices. This can add an emotional burden when people are feeling at their most stressed or vulnerable.'
