A £141,000 refit of Hambleton's Civic Centre, in Northallerton, has been given the go-ahead by councillors.

The move will see the creation of the authority's first one-stop shop for services and a contact centre for telephone callers.

The work marks the first stage of plans to deliver all council services electronically by 2005.

Initial drawings for the project have now gone on show in the centre and it is hoped that the authority will eventually have a presence in each of the district's market towns as High Street one-stop shops.

The proposals will allow for a greater integration of services, enabling 80 per cent all callers -either by phone, computer or in person - to be dealt with by the first point of contact.

"We want to make sure all our customers' enquiries are dealt with efficiently and correctly," said Hambleton District Council's director of resources, Phil Morton.

The refit plans include a meet-and-greet area, service desks and cash desk, an information room where planning applications and other council documents can be studied on-line, waiting area, three private interview rooms and a central mailroom.