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Adur Council looks at closing local offices
Ref : 09/090 : Date : 02-11-2009
Adur Council is reviewing the need to keep the two local offices in Southwick and Lancing open. In a report, which will be considered next week at a joint Adur and Worthing overview and scrutiny committee, council officers will recommend the closure of the two offices.
If the recommendation goes ahead the council will sell the building in Southwick, current value £350,000 and re-let the office in Lancing. The closures are expected to save the council £52,000 a year once the properties are disposed of or re-let.
The housing management and the cashiering services at the local offices would transfer to the Civic Centre in Shoreham.
In a tenant survey carried out last year most of people, 78 per cent, said they contact the council by phone with 34 per cent saying they visited a council office. Most of the housing management calls were about repairs and many people now use a 24 hour freephone number for reporting their repairs.
The Southwick and Lancing cash offices already operate a three-day week and figures show that more people are choosing to pay their bills by other methods such as PayPoint and on-line.
The report recommends that because PayPoint is available at many outlets investment should be made to update the current system and replace 'cards' with bar coded bills. This will enable residents to pay any council bill at a PayPoint outlet.
Strategic director, Andrew Gardiner said: “As officers it is our job to look at ways to save money and find efficiencies to keep council tax and tenant’s rents as low as possible. We will make our recommendations to the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the 3rd November 2009 and following that to the joint cabinets on the 18th November 2009."
“Our residents and tenants can be assured they will continue to receive a first-class service, although in a different manner and from a different location in some cases.”
Ends
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