D- Day looms at council for Citizens advice hub
Vote on idea approaches
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Councillors will be pressed to establish South Ayrshire’s first ever citizens advice bureau.
Campaigners say the bureau would stop officials “frittering away” taxpayers’ cash.
Now a vote will take place on whether the scheme gets the go- ahead.
John Dunlop, a former director of Citizens Advice Scotland, is behind the bid.
He said: “There is no good reason for denying a bureau in this part of the world.
“The council is currently getting very poor value for its expenditure in areas such as housing advice.
“Why should this be when a citizens advice hub would be staffed 75 per cent by volunteers?”
South Ayrshire is one of just three local authorities in Scotland to operate without a bureau.
And bosses at Wellington Square have so far refused to hand over control of certain services.
Mr Dunlop, 65, said: “There is a culture within the council of ‘ Move on nothing to see here’.
“It is spending nearly £ 1m per year on housing advice by funding services such as SeAscape and the Housing Aid Centre.
“There is no need for this money to be thrown down the drain when a perfectly acceptable alternative is on the table.
“Citizens Advice Bureaus are one- stopshops which, frankly, the public find a lot easier to trust as well.
“The council is simply in denial if it thinks it can go on refusing this option to the public.”
A motion put forward by the council’s Tory group will be voted on by members next week.
Opposition leader, Cllr Martin Dowey, said: “We see the clear advantage in creating a Citizens Advice Bureau, both in financial terms for the council and in potential quality of service for the public.”
A council spokesman said: “We’re committed to supporting our communities and our people, particularly those in need.
“Through our Information and Advice Hub we already provide services which deal with income maximisation, debt and money advice and consumer information.
“A motion to bring forward a full report on the issue will be considered by councillors on Thursday.”