A family from Bath has been the first in the area to celebrate registering their baby in person after face-to-face registrations stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Divya and Balaji were the first parents since lockdown to attend Bath & North East Somerset Council’s register office at the Guildhall in Bath to register their new baby girl, Shraddha Balaji, who had been born in May.
Following an easing of restrictions by the Government, the council began welcoming new parents at appointments on Monday (June 1) and will now be offering appointments with an option to book online.
There are more than 1,100 families waiting to register their babies and the council is providing as many appointments as possible, but is asking for parents’ patience while they wait for their turn.
Appointments can now be booked to register births or to give a notice of marriage or civil partnership in the Guildhall.
From June 8, appointments will also be offered at the council’s offices at the Civic Centre in Keynsham and the Hollies at Midsomer Norton, with online bookings for all three venues also opening on that day.
Full details can be found at https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/births-marriages-and-deaths/births
Councillor Paul Crossley, cabinet member for Community Services, said, “I’m delighted that we are now able to register new babies once more and mark this special occasion in a family’s life. Thank you for your patience if you’re a new parent who has had to wait.
“Please contact us to make an appointment and our register office team will look forward to meeting you as soon as they can, but please bear in mind there may still be a delay while they work through the waiting list. I must also warn parents that we have barriers and markings in place at the register offices to ensure social distancing is followed, so please follow the signs when you attend with your family.”
Balaji added, “It was very helpful to be able to have our appointment and register our new daughter. Everything was nice when we visited. The registering process is very quick and accurate and Jonathan, the registrar, was very helpful.”
For all updates on council services go to www.bathnes.gov.uk/coronavirus