Bristol city council to close customer service points

Bristol City Council could close all but one of its help centres in a bid to save money.

The seven Customer Service Points (CSPs) are dotted around the city and assist people with everything from paying bills to advice about council tax and housing benefit.

Visitors can order recycling boxes, make complaints about noise, apply for concessionary travel passes and more.

Concerns have been raised that many people in Bristol don't have access to the internet, such as the elderly and those who would benefit from one-to-one help.

But the council says it wants to provide services in more modern ways, including text messages, self-service points in libraries and a new website.

If the council goes ahead with the closures up to 18 of 67 full-time equivalent jobs could be lost, with the council seeking to introduce a more self-service approach.

The CSPs are based at Phoenix Court, Bond Street South in the city centre; Waring House, Redcliff Hill; Robinson House, Fishponds; Symes House, Hartcliffe; Salcombe House, Knowle; Ridingleaze House, Lawrence Weston; Southmead House, Southmead.

The council's "vision" is to eventually shut all but Phoenix House, opening two more at the forthcoming Southmead Hospital and the Hengrove Campus site to replace them.

Centres employ about three team managers, seven team leaders, 43 customer advisors, six cashiers, five local tax experts and three electronic benefits advisors.

The council says people are using internet instead of the centres.

Officers estimate the cost of dealing with someone per "transaction" is £6.56 face-to-face, £3.22 by phone and 27p online.

But no-one the Bristol Evening Post spoke to at the CSP in Hartcliffe had access to the internet, and the majority of people who used the Phoenix Centre in an afternoon did not speak English as a first language.

The centres are open five days a week between 8.30am and 5pm.

The council is looking at cutting back services in several phases next year.

Phase one is due to take place in March and would see Bedminster's CSP closed.

Southmead would be cut back to three days a week, Ridingleaze to two days a week and Knowle to either two days a week or relocated elsewhere.

Phase two would take place next December, with Fishponds reduced to two days a week, while Knowle and Ridingleaze would become self-service only.

The council's goal is then to have Phoenix as a one-stop-shop with longer hours, with all other centres relocated to Southmead and Hengrove, though no date has been given for the third phase.

There are currently 36 self-service points and 19 freephones in Bristol's 35 wards, leaving 11 without coverage.

The council is consulting on the changes with a wide range of groups, including staff, tenant support groups, neighbourhood partnerships, and bodies representing the elderly, disabled and minorities.

Two invitation-only meetings are due to be held to discuss the proposals, one on Friday, November 13 and the other Wednesday, November 18.

The deadline for people to have their say is November 19.

The Bristol Evening Post asked the council for a statement on the proposals but one wasn't provided.

A consultation document issued by the council states: "We want to better meet growing customer expectations for improved access to, and increased availability of, services.

"We also need to ensure that the council is offering value for money.

"Face-to-face customer service transactions are on average twice as expensive as transactions by telephone."