The Council is urging willing members of the public to come forward and help put Council services to the test. We feel the best people for the job are our customers and that's where you come in!

The Council's Services for Communities department is looking for 20 Edinburgh residents to be "mystery shoppers". All you have to do is use a service we have agreed on and tell us what you think. If the results indicate action is required we will then take steps to improve services for everyone across the city who is using these services.

Your views are important to us so we want to hear what you think of the service we provide when visiting our offices, telephoning, e-mailing or writing to us.

You don't need previous experience as we will give you all the help you need. It will only take a few hours to complete (at a time that suits you) and we will pay you £50 for helping us out. In addition we will let you know what we decided to do to improve our services as a result of our mystery shoppers experiences.

For more information or to volunteer, please contact David Porteous on 0131 529 7127, e-mail david.porteous@edinburgh.gov.uk [3] or write to: Customer Information & Research, Level C4, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, EH8 8BG.

• The City of Edinburgh Council Services for Communities department focuses on delivering better services to communities across the city, thereby improving everyone's quality of life.
  
  
• If writing to volunteer, please include a contact telephone number. Volunteers' details will be stored on a database and those who take part will be selected to ensure there is a representative group of Edinburgh citizens. All volunteers will be contacted in writing in early October.