Alexandria’s Residents Recommendation Bureau places of work are set to shut in a transfer labelled “an enormous blow” within the midst of the price of residing disaster.
Chiefs insist the choice is “not about closing down our recommendation however relocating it” - with on-line and phone providers strengthened, and the potential of house visits being investigated.
The service helps hundreds of individuals throughout the world with points from debt to advantages recommendation.
It comes weeks after warnings the city’s Put up Workplace could possibly be compelled shut down after proprietor Zunair Butt mentioned ongoing works had “killed footfall”.
Councillor Jim Bollan, of West Dunbartonshire Group Get together, fears for the affect the choice to shut CAB places of work in Financial institution Avenue may have through the ongoing price of residing disaster, with Alexandria’s Major Avenue already combating the works.
He informed the Lennox: “The information that the Residents Recommendation Bureau in Alexandria is closing its premises within the city centre will likely be an additional big blow to hundreds of native individuals who use this very important service, which will likely be wanted greater than ever with the price of residing disaster affecting many native folks.
“If we lose extra outlets in addition to the Put up Workplace, the CAB and social housing then it doesn't augur effectively for the way forward for the city centre as a venture we’re attempting to develop.
“We’re now pedalling backwards as a substitute of growing a helpful city centre for folks to stay and store in.”
West Dunbartonshire CAB supervisor Joe McCormack mentioned the choice had been made on account of altering shopper behaviour, and never funds.
He mentioned: “Within the final three-month interval, we handled 3,348 enquiries masking 8,670 points.
“We’re serving to extra folks now than we have been serving to earlier than lockdown. What has modified is that over 95 % of these enquiries have been handled over the phone, through electronic mail or through livechat.
“Though many purchasers have made the change to phone and digital recommendation, we’ve been very conscious of the wants of these individuals who aren’t snug or can’t use digital and/or phone providers.
“We’ve been considering for a while how we are able to make higher use of sources to modernise the best way we meet the recommendation wants of all folks.
“We really feel that forcing folks to journey into the city centres in the event that they wish to converse to us shouldn't be in keeping with the best way folks stay in 2022.
“Our places of work are usually not getting used as a lot. Folks need extra flexibility and comfort, and it’s as much as us to reply to that.”
He added: “I wish to stress that this choice was not made due to funding cuts. Our funding is similar this 12 months because it was final 12 months.
“It is a constructive choice to convey the CAB into the twenty first century and means we're providing folks extra methods to work together with us. It's not about closing down our recommendation however relocating it.”
Joe insists the plans will enhance the service on provide to native folks, with the strengthening of on-line and phone recommendation platforms.
He mentioned relocating and diversifying workplace area makes its “face-to-face service rather more localised than ever earlier than”.
Joe added: “We're additionally provide extra house visits. If native folks want our free, confidential recommendation they may have extra choices than ever to entry it.
“The Residents Recommendation Bureau shouldn't be about buildings. It’s about native folks delivering an area service. This modification means we can provide the identical type of providers in a manner which is extra handy for folks to make use of. We're very enthusiastic about it.”
WDCAB may be accessed on-line at www.wdcab.co.uk or by freephone on 0800 484 0136.