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Adur Council local housing offices to open for three days a week
Ref : 09/101 : Date : 02-12-2009
Adur Council two local housing offices are to open three days a week from next week (7/12/09). Councillors agreed that the offices in Southwick Street Southwick and North Road Lancing will close on Wednesdays and Thursdays in line with the opening hours of the cashiering service at these two offices.
Most of the council’s housing service is already based at the Civic Centre and members of the public are advised to contact 01273 263000 if they wish to make appointments to see housing officers.
A full closure of the offices is expected to happen around December 2010. Following that 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.
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 hr freephone number for reporting their repairs.
The Southwick and Lancing cash offices have operated a three-day week for some time as more people choose 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.
Cabinet member for improved customer service, Julie Searle said: “Residents can be assured that the local housing offices won’t close until alternative services are in place. The council is committed to providing a first-class service for residents who will find they can access housing services at the Civic Centre.”
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