The following announcement was written by Maggie Loughran, Administrator of the Federation of Family History Societies and is published here with her permission:
ONS TO VACATE GROUND FLOOR FRC BY 31 OCTOBER 2007
At the Family Records Centre User Consultative Group Meeting today at the Family Records Centre (FRC) Myddelton Street, London, the Federation of Family History Societies representatives (Maureen Bullows and Geoff Riggs) were extremely disturbed to be informed that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will vacate the ground floor at the FRC by 31 October 2007.
From 31 October until the previously announced date of closure, the end of March 2008, access to the Indexes for Births, Deaths and Marriages will be on the first floor of the FRC on MICROFICHE only.
Ordering of certificates will be ONLINE only and there will be no provision for certificate collection.
The ONS and General Register Office (GRO) were left in no doubt by the unanimous protestations of the Family Records Centre User Consultative Group.
Full details and a copy of the Public Briefing paper can be found at: www.ffhs.org.uk/archives/gro/briefing070725.php.
Maggie Loughran
Administrator, Federation of Family History Societies www.ffhs.org.uk
