Cotswold District Council is set to permanently change its call centre opening hours following a successful trial.

In September last year, the trial saw the call centre operate from 9am to 2pm instead of the traditional 9am to 5pm.

The reduction in opening hours during quieter afternoon periods allowed for an increase of operators during busy lunchtimes.

Whilst this trial was in progress, the council significantly invested more resources in its online services.

However, the in-person service in the council offices, located in Cirencester and Moreton-in-Marsh, remained open from 9am to 5pm to accommodate those needing face-to-face interaction.

The alterations, estimated to save the council around £125,000 annually, were introduced in response to the significant financial challenges the council faces.

The council says that core funds from the UK government have been reduced by approximately 50 per cent since 2013, and with the recent inflation rise inflating the cost of delivering services, the council has looked at ideas to change the way services are delivered.

The council was consistent in ranking among the top ten councils for telephone service customer satisfaction during the trial, reaching the top three in March this year.

The council has been developing their existing online services over the past few years and has implemented new digital offerings.

These services include reporting missed bins, managing council tax and benefit payments, to requesting bulky waste collections.

90 per cent of residents contacted the council's garden waste service through the website when it became available online.

Cllr Joe Harris, leader of the Cotswold District Council, said: "The trial in changing our customer services opening hours has been a success and we are really pleased that customer satisfaction is still high.

"We’ll always make sure that our residents are able to contact us by phone, particularly those who aren’t as confident using digital services, but this trial has shown a clear shift towards many residents using online services.

"This change means we're now providing a more efficient service, and also a better service for residents with more digital options and better response rates."

The council will maintain a 24/7 emergency line for critical services such as homelessness support and emergency response.