Councillors and council staff gathered on Friday to mark the official launch of the Falmouth Information Service which is housed on the first floor of the former Post Office on The Moor.

The devolution of the service from Cornwall Council to Falmouth Town Council has gone extremely smoothly and has already resulted in the range of services being extended. This follows on from the successful devolution of the library service and increase in library opening hours.

The Information Service (formerly the One Stop Shop) now operates five days a week and additional services such as the sale of biodegradable dog poo bags have been reinstated. The service is also now integrated with other Falmouth Town Council civic services.

The Old Post Office also provides offices for town council staff, an environmental officer and Cornwall Council parking enforcement teams. Plans have also been established to move Cornwall Council registrars into bespoke offices within the building

The council’s forward thinking approach to devolution and actions to save local services from closure has received national recognition. Town clerk Mark Williams was named Town Clerk of the Year by the National Association of Local Councils.

Mayor Grenville Chappel, said: "It has taken some time to get the Old Post Office refitted but I know when you see it you will all be very impressed with the refit and the services we now provide all under one roof. This provides the residents of Falmouth with a true one stop service and this is just the start of the improvements that we will provide in the future."

Mr Williams, added: "As a council we are working hard to save local services and assets from closure. The devolution of the library and information service has gone smoothly and has been a good example of partnership working with Cornwall Council. I would like to thank all of the staff involved and to particularly highlight the role played by Candy Atherton who was instrumental in campaigning for the integration of services."

Councillor Edwina Hannaford, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for neighbourhoods, said: “Falmouth Town Council’s proactive approach to take more control over their assets is a great example of devolution in action. Devolution at its most worthwhile is about finding the best long term local custodians of community assets and I applaud their innovative approach to working with the council and other partners to provide an excellent service to their community.

"I would also like to thank our library and information service staff for their hard work and professionalism and the devolution project team for their combined efforts and work to progress this very complicated devolution programme.”