A new, flexible, face-to-face support service for customers who need extra help with their taxes, tax credits and child benefit entitlements will be launched in Cheshire this spring.

The new HM Revenue and Customs service will provide expert advisers to resolve issues on the phone, in-depth, in one go.

Following the launch of the new service in May 2014, the current enquiry centre network across Cheshire, including an office in Widnes, will close.

Ruth Owen, HMRC’s director general for personal tax, said: “HMRC is dedicated to providing help to customers when they need it.

“Our enquiry centres offer a great service to those who can reach them, but they are spread unevenly across the UK.

“The new service will enable us to tailor help in a way that works better and is more affordable.

“Our specialised phone service will help customers whose affairs can be resolved over the telephone, and our face-to-face help will be available to those who need it, visiting them at a place convenient to them.”

The new service follows a successful pilot in the north east of England and involved the closure of 13 enquiry centres.

Phone advisers will be able to bring HMRC experts together in a single call to resolve multiple issues, without transferring customers to different advisers who each deal with a separate issue.

For those who need a personal appointment, mobile advisers will meet them at a range of venues, from government and community buildings to a person’s own home or business at a time that suits them.

Customers who need extra help on any HMRC issue, from help with a tax return, to assistance with a tax credits claim, will be identified and referred to the new service by existing helpline phone advisers and voluntary sector partners.

Following the launch of the new service in May 2014, the current enquiry centre network across Cheshire, including an office in Widnes, will close.

The new service will save customers around £17 million a year in lost time and travel costs, and will save taxpayers more than £27 million a year, as a result of the closure of the enquiry centre network.