A COUNCIL hopes its new headquarters will help residents access vital services on their doorstep.

The £125,000 transformation of Chilton Town Council's offices could pave the way for more service providers to move in.

The work to Hutton House was initially planned to make the building more accessible to the public and to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

But the council now hopes organisations such as the police, Sedgefield Borough Council and Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB) will set up camp in the refurbished building.

The council moved into the detached home in the 1970s and set up its main offices upstairs, making it difficult to reach for people with mobility problems.

Last year, a number of outbuildings were pulled down to make way for an extension, which has seen all the offices moved to the ground floor.

The redesigned building, which took about six months to complete, makes Hutton House more accessible to the elderly, disabled people and parents with children.

Councillors hope Hutton House will soon become a one-stop shop for residents.

It already accommodates three officers from the CAB on a temporary basis, who had to relocate from Spennymoor Town Hall and it is hoped that one advisor could stay permanently.

Police beat officers may use the office to hold surgery sessions twice a week and the parish council hopes to convince Sedgefield Borough Council to base a housing officer there. Town council clerk Paul Gray said: "We could not practically alter the stairs with lifts so went for a full redevelopment which people seem very impressed with.

"I think the investment is a sign of the council's commitment to Chilton and hopefully other groups will follow.

"People of Chilton come to us as the first port of call for just about everything and often we aren't the best ones to see.

"We want them to be able to call in here and be able to see whoever they need without having to travel to Ferryhill or Spennymoor.

"We may even get a computer for the public to use."