Council contact now easier for Preston's deaf residents

The council has announced a trial of ‘SignalLive’ which allows residents from the city’s deaf community to contact the council ‘live’ via a British Sign Language interpreter.

Cabinet member for social justice, inclusion and policy, coun Matthew Brown, pictured, said: “This is another example of a forward-thinking council trying new ways of communicating with residents.

“We take accessibility and inclusivity seriously and this will enable the deaf residents of Preston to engage fully with the council, our services and staff.

“I’d encourage any deaf residents in Preston to try the system and give us some feedback. This will help us make a decision on whether to keep it.”

The service is free of charge to residents and can be accessed via an app on a smartphone or tablet.

The council is set to trial the system for three months and is walking to local organisation Deafway to help get the message out to those who could benefit from the service.

Demonstration videos of how the app works can be found on the Signlive website at www.signlive.co.uk.