Agenda item

RESOLVED:   That the Council close the area offices from a date to be agreed with the Job Centre Plus to co-ordinate the communications to our customers.

Reason for Decision

Closing the area offices would free up four days of staff resource to ease the pressure on the telephone contact centre. Most services are available online and customers can telephone for a service request if they are unable to access online services. The council still offers a Visiting Officer service to visit elderly or vulnerable customers, if they require a personalised service.

Following a recommendation from the Corporate Performance Panel, consultation was undertaken with customers using both offices to determine the potential impact on the local community and service users of closing the offices.  The majority of customers were in attendance to purchase caddy liners or because they were in town.

Councillor Mrs Mellish presented a report which reminded Members that the Borough Council currently had services delivered directly to the customer which were provided from the main council office in King’s Court, King’s Lynn and from the satellite offices in Downham Market and Hunstanton on a part time basis.  The report proposed the closure of the area offices in order to bring the staff based there back to King’s Court in order to assist with the high level of enquiries which was better use of their time. 

The cash offices in all the offices were closed in 2011 but the Downham and Hunstanton offices remained open until the introduction of digital services, when the numbers of customers visiting the area offices reduced over time resulting in April 2016, the number of days the offices opened to 2 per week (Downham Market on Monday’s and Fridays and Hunstanton on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Customers were using the digital channels to make enquiries and requests for services including housing and benefit enquiries both of which were now fully digitalised negating the need to visit the offices in person.

The area offices also used to include Freebridge Community Housing and Job Centre Plus (JCP) who leased office space in the buildings and provided a face-to-face service to customers. Freebridge ceased their presence several years ago and JCP have advised they will be withdrawing their staff at both offices in September 2017.

Councillor Mrs Mellish drew attention to the fact that the Corporate Performance Panel had requested the report come back to the Panel, but had not requested any specific information.  Therefore over the course of a week customers at the area offices had been asked for details of the reasons for their visits, which had shown that the vast majority of visits had been to purchase caddy liners, which was ceasing shortly.  

Under Standing Order 34, Councillor Pope disagreed that the offices should be closed as he felt that it was a decline in the services for the rural areas.

It was noted that no complaints had been received when the hours were originally reduced, the numbers of customers continued to fall and attention was also drawn to the fact that for certain services if a vulnerable customer was unable to visit, telephone or digitally access services, a visiting officer could come to assist them.  Attention was also drawn to the fact that some rural areas were as far from the area office as the main office.

RESOLVED:   That the Council close the area offices from a date to be agreed with the Job Centre Plus to co-ordinate the communications to our customers.

Reason for Decision

Closing the area offices would free up four days of staff resource to ease the pressure on the telephone contact centre. Most services are available online and customers can telephone for a service request if they are unable to access online services. The council still offers a Visiting Officer service to visit elderly or vulnerable customers, if they require a personalised service.

Following a recommendation from the Corporate Performance Panel, consultation was undertaken with customers using both offices to determine the potential impact on the local community and service users of closing the offices.  The majority of customers were in attendance to purchase caddy liners or because they were in town.