Closure agreed
Paying your bills at Municipal Offices to end
THE cash office in Cheltenham Borough Council’s headquarters used by people to pay bills will permanently close due to the coronavirus.
Customers will be sign-posted to pay bills such as council tax or business rates at nine Post Office stores across the town, a council document said.
Cheltenham Borough Council’s cabinet backed the proposal at a meeting on Tuesday, July 7, and expects the move will save the borough council £44,000.
A council document said an advancement in technology and changes in preferences, coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic, has led to the borough council deciding to close the cash office.
Council data in the report showed that cheques paid for in person has declined year-on-year, with many still posting them.
It said: “With advancements in technology and changing customer preferences a review of customer payment access has been undertaken to ensure improved customer access and more efficient working practices.
“This report recommends a number of changes to meet these objectives. Having reviewed the council’s payment access arrangement, these will now be enhanced by allowing those customers that need to pay bills in cash with the opportunity to do so at Post Office locations within the borough.
“This will provide our customers with greater flexibility and payment locations. In addition, the review of customer payment data shows that customers are electing to pay by electronic means, increasingly choosing self-service over face-to-face payments in the cash halls located at the Municipal Offices, Hesters Way and Oakley.
“The pressure for this move is coming directly and indirectly from government, financial institutions, and other major businesses, as customers move to safer and easier ways of making payments. The move to increased cashless transactions nationally has been accelerated by Covid-19, with many organisations now only accepting card payments.
“As part of the Covid-19 lockdown arrangements in March, the cash hall facilities at the Municipal Offices had to be temporarily closed and the majority of customers have now transitioned to other forms of non-cash payment.
“As the number of cash payers continues to decline year on year it is now recommended to offer a convenient alternative method for cash payers and close the council’s cash office.
“This ensures efficiencies can be made but customers still have the option to pay by cash if needed.
“The council’s data also shows the use of cheques continues to decline and cheques are now the least used method of payment.
“Cheques involve a significant amount of manual processing and many organisations and other local authorities no longer accept cheque payments. The permanent closure of the cash office at the Municipal Offices and the phasing out of payments by cheque, will realise savings and will enable investment into increasing payment access and improving the customer experience when making payments to the council.”