Notice from Herts County Council
Hertfordshire County Council is launching a new service to make it easier to notify government departments of births and deaths.
When a child is born or when someone dies there are lots of things that need to be done. These include informing the many government departments and council services that need to know. Until now, Hertfordshire residents have had to contact each of them individually with the same information.
Hertfordshire County Council now provides a new service which means that information collected by one organisation can be shared across a number of different local and national government departments. For those registering a birth, using the service can mean speeding up an application for Child Tax Credit with HMRC if they are receiving income-related benefits.
Births and deaths will still need to be registered in person, at one of Hertfordshire County Council’s eight register officers. However, from now on, when booking the appointment, people will be asked if they would like to make use of the new ‘Tell us Once’ service. If they do, they will be asked to bring with them certain documents so that records for other organisations can be updated at the same time.
Once the initial registration is complete, the registrar will access a secure website which will notify the relevant departments, such as the DWP for pensions, local authorities for housing and council tax purposes and the Passport Agency. In the event of a death registration, if the bereaved informant does not wish to proceed at that point they will be given a freephone number for the DWP and a unique reference number to enable them to access the service direct.
Hertfordshire County Council is committed to ensuring that all applicants’ information is protected. All information will be kept securely and shared only with the organisations who need to know.
Those who would like more information on this service can call the Hertfordshire Registration Service on 0300 123 4045, or visit http://www.hertsdirect.org/your-community/register/
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Notes
Tell us Once is part of a government pathfinder project led by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and is aimed at ensuring that people only have to inform the public sector once of any change in circumstances.
The organisations that will be informed are:
1. In the event of a death:
Department for Work and Pensions
• Pension, Disability and Carers Service
• Jobcentre Plus
• Overseas Health Team
Ministry of Defence, Service Personnel and Veterans Agency
• War Pensions Scheme*
HM Revenue & Customs
• Child Benefit
• Child Tax Credit & Working Tax Credit
• Personal Taxation
Identity and Passport Service
• Council Housing
• Council Tax
• Libraries
• Blue Badges
• Adult Services
• Children’s Services
• Collection of payment for council services
• Electoral services
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
These organisations can also be told if requested:
• Local Councils
• Housing Benefit Office
• Council Tax Benefit Office
2. For a birth:
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Jobcentre Plus
• Housing Benefit Office
• Council Tax Benefit Office
• Library Services
• Children’s Services (Family Information Services)
• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
• Child Benefit
• Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit