Cuts to Liverpool’s One Stop Shops could lead to those in need of neighbourhood services being left to “suffer silently” it has been claimed.
By March, Liverpool Council has to find ways to plug a £73m funding shortfall, with warnings of service cuts and job losses on the horizon. A document outlining where savings could be made was published by the local authority in November.
Among the proposals are a reduction in the city’s customer contact centres, known as One Stop Shops. The council held a public consultation on the future of the centres which could lead to the closure of all but two.
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The One Stop Shops service currently has two full time and seven part time sites and went to the public with two proposals. The first would lead to Kirkdale’s One Stop Shop opening two days a week and a one day a week provision at Toxteth, Norris Green, Old Swan, Central, Lee Valley, Kensington, Garston and Parklands.
The second option would provide a three day service at Kirkdale, two days at Norris Green and the closure of all other sites. Changes to the One Stop Shop service could save the cash-strapped council £800,000 next year.
Services will still be available online and through the Contact Centre, according to the local authority. Campaigners have warned of the implications of closing the centres, with an online petition reaching almost 1,500 signatures.
Ruth Knox, who instigated the petition, has been campaigning outside the Garston site with residents regularly. She expressed her concern about the council’s mooted options.
She said: “We started it last year and at the time there were considerable cuts being discussed. This year there’s now a further £800,000.
“This is a period of time where vulnerable citizens need help and you look to the city council to provide it. The One Stop Shops provide an excellent service and we’ve been campaigning at those sites for the past year.
“The people who need them are vulnerable or at the end of their tether. To support them, you need a neighbourhood service.
“We don’t want the council to be remote. I think people will suffer silently, they won’t know where to go for the support they need.” Cllr William Shortall, who represents Old Swan ward, told a meeting of the council’s finance and resources committee in December the service is 10 times more valuable than the savings it would make” and felt the city is "rushing in a little bit"
The results of a consultation will be compiled into a report which will be sent to Budget Council next month to make a final decision. A Liverpool Council spokesperson said: “The council needs to make overall savings of £73 million in 2023/24, with a target of £800,000 proposed to be saved from the One Stop Shops budget.
“One Stop Shops account for around 1% of the council’s contact with residents, and people will still be able to contact us on the telephone or online. Our long term vision is to move to a neighbourhood model of delivery, where residents can access our services at any council building.”
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