Bristol City Council u-turn on customer service points
Bristol City Council has performed a U-turn on proposals to close help centres after scathing criticism from the public.
Six Customer Service Points across the city that were earmarked for closure will now be kept open, although two will be cut back to three days a week.
-
Proposals leaked to the Bristol Evening Post two weeks ago showed the council wanted to close centres in Bedminster, Fishponds, Hartcliffe, Knowle, Lawrence Weston and Southmead and axe 18 of 67 members of staff.
No permanent staff will now lose their jobs, but Bedminster and a relocated Knowle office will go down to three days a week from January in a pilot scheme.<
The Knowle office will move to the Broadwalk shopping centre under the revised proposals.
The council wanted people to rely more on the internet and phone services instead of talking to staff face-to-face to solve problems, in an attempt to save around £500,000 a year.
But taxpayers reacted badly to the idea, claiming the authority was disadvantaging people who need help the most.
Critics pointed out not everyone has use of, or understands, the internet, and that non-English-speaking and elderly people benefit from face-to-face contact.
The council was also accused of paying lip service to consultation, by only having two invitation-only meetings to ask people what they thought.
Around 40 representatives of groups for the elderly, minorities and tenants groups attended the meeting and poured scorn on the plans. Initially the council had only planned to consult on the proposals until November 19 but after the first meeting this was pushed back to December 18.
The authority then backtracked again after the second meeting, pushing the consultation deadline to January 8, before then deciding to change the plans altogether on Friday. The proposals were the brainchild of the council’s “transformation team” but the decision to go back on the proposals was made by cabinet.
Just a week before, executive member for efficiency and value for money Councillor Mike Popham and director for transformation David Trussler had been defending the proposals, but said nothing was set in stone.
Council spokesman James Easey said: “We put these plans out to a genuine consultation, heard people’s views and we’ve listened hard.
“The message coming back loud and clear is that residents value the excellent service from the Customer Service Points across the city.
“As a result, we are putting forward new plans, to get a better balance between piloting newer ways of working, whilst keeping our existing offices.
“At the same time, we will continue to do all we can to transform our customer services to reflect changing times, adding in more free phones, more self-service points, publicising the free internet connections at 27 libraries, and introducing more pay points in post offices.
“We’ll pilot these changes in the New Year and see how well the new arrangements work for our customer.
“We’ll also work closely with the new Neighbourhood Partnerships in seeing how these pilot schemes work.”
6 Comments
View all
by second class bristol resident, South Bristol
Thursday, November 26 2009, 10:51PM
“Bristol City Council does it again. They are trying to placte everyone with their 'we listened rubbish'. They are still not listening.
It appears the residents in South Bristol are unequal to those in the North. How on earth can this be allowed to happen ? I would have thought this could be deemed against the law given that we are all supposed to be equal. I am sure council tax paid in the Southof the city is the same as in the North but we are expected to accept less services for it. It cant be down to users because when ever I have gone to one they are chock a block with customers, all of whom would prefer to wait to be seen by a real person. I cant believe they are needed less in some parts of the city than others.
It comes as no surprise looking at the Councillors responsible for these decisions that the majority in the cabinet (The list is displayed in your office- whilst it is still open) represent people from the other side of the city except for one, who judging by previous letters to the post keeps changing his mind, so where is his loyalty to the people who voted him in?Perhaps he doesnt want to stand anymore!!!!! Wonder what will happen at local elections next year?
But then it could be too late”
by The Hedgehog, Horfield
Monday, November 23 2009, 4:46PM
“Just what right, precisely, has a resident of Midsomer Norton to pontificate about how we in Bristol spend our Council Tax?”
by Nikita, Bristol
Monday, November 23 2009, 2:10PM
“if you think it's bad now, what will it be like under a Tory government? if they get in thatis? They want to make cuts to public services.”
by G, Bristol
Monday, November 23 2009, 2:01PM
“You only have to visit one of the service points to see how much they are used. They are very busy which suggests that the running of these service points is money well spent.
The suggestion of closing them was a ridiculous.”
by MikeMSN, Midsomer Norton
Monday, November 23 2009, 1:13PM
“How much are they used? How many people are seen per employee per hour on average at each service point? How far are these services duplicated by Citizen Advice Bureaux, as well as the council web site?
Fat chance of ever bringing down the extortionate council tax bills which have come in during the Labour government, if every proposal to cut expenses brings a chorus of disapproval, and the council never has the guts to go ahead on the basis of the evidence rather than the noise.”