Swale House could be in line for a five-figure refit. Plans are in place for a £45,000 refurbishment of the ground floor space at the local authority HQ in East Street, Sittingbourne.

It’s designed to improve customer service by forging closer ties with frontline operations such as housing benefits and housing options.

It will be funded through existing revenue budgets and cash from Swale council’s capital reserves.

Cllr Duncan Dewar-Whalley, cabinet member for finance, said: “Our aim is to provide an easy to use and easy to access, support service to claimants.

“This reconfiguration will follow in the footsteps of the very successful Sheppey Gateway facilities in Sheerness and will allow us to provide customers with a high quality responsive service.”

The news comes amid plans to relocate to new purpose-built civic centre in Central Avenue.

Explaining the reasons for spending so much money now, a council spokesman said: “The current ground floor public reception areas are not user-friendly and are in need of improvement.

“Although it is planned to move to new offices, it is likely to take four to five years and the proposed works provide an immediate solution.”