CUSTOMER services at Darlington Borough Council should be more private, according to a leading councilor.

People queuing up to visit officers in the planning and benefits offices at the town hall need to take a ticket and wait for their number to come up on a plasma TV screen.

At a meeting of the authority's neighbourhood services scrutiny committee on Tuesday, chairwoman Doris Jones, said the system should be more discreet.

She said: "I have used the service myself and it is fantastic.

"It was extremely busy when I was there. My only concern is you have to press a button to make an appointment with the department you want. It comes up on the screen if you are going to tax benefits or housing benefit, which are personal issues.

"I don't think people want everyone else in the waiting room to know they are waiting to use these services.

"When I was there an old lady sitting next to me said 'there's nothing like advertising is there?'

"I think the word benefit is embarrassing for some people."

Lynda Bosanko, the council's head of customer services, said the system was a short-term solution designed when there was uncertainty surrounding the future of the Town Hall.

"We are looking at that at the moment," she said. "It has about a two-year life span. We made the best use of space, bearing in mind that it was a temporary option.

"The system now is not sustainable in the long term. If you go in at 10.30am on a Monday, there is a danger you could be queuing out the door. There does need to be more provision for a more personal service."