Kingston’s Jobcentre Plus has moved to the Guildhall in a bid to save money and “streamline” services.

Further jobcentre and council co-locations are coming across the UK soon, and Kingston is the first borough in London to enact the change.

Alison Chivers, manager of the Jobcentre Plus Partnership, said: “The move to the Kingston Council premises will provide us with an excellent opportunity to work closer with our partners, while providing customers with access to the full range of jobcentre and local authority services under the same roof.

“The ‘one stop shop’ will create an improved experience for customers in a modern and welcoming environment, while proving cost effective for the taxpayer.”

The new offices began operating on February 5.

Leader of the council Kevin Davis said: “I’m extremely pleased to welcome Jobcentre Plus to the Guildhall site. This marks an important milestone in adapting and modernising the way council services are to be run; to provide an overall better user experience.

“The co-location has been achieved by making more effective use of the Guildhall site. Office space has been adapted and council staff are using digital technologies to work in a more agile way. This has increased the working capacity of the site and freed up the necessary space for JCP to move in.

“The financial benefits of the co-location are considerable and means valuable taxpayers’ money can be used on crucial services elsewhere.”