A NEW call centre and drop-in service have been short-listed for two industry awards.

Bolton Town Hall bosses are hoping the Access Bolton project will win two categories of the Customer Relationship Management Industry awards - best project in public sector and best application of an innovative concept.

The national awards - to be announced on April 27 - were set up to acknowledge and encourage achievements in customer relationship management.

The judges claim they were impressed by the project's ability to meet the needs of customers through various channels such as email, by telephone or face to face.

Also praised was the council's new internet kiosk initiative with BT which has seen 40 payphones around the borough upgraded into internet kiosks with free access to a range of public service websites.

Cllr Laurie Williamson, the council's executive member with responsibility for e-Government, said: "This shows the great strides we are making in customer relationship management."