Renfrewshire House to cut opening hours

Renfrewshire House will reduce its opening hours as it prepares to close its doors during weekends.

The council headquarters will not be available for staff and elected members on Saturdays and Sundays following a transition period.

The move has angered some councillors, who regularly work at the weekend, but the local authority has quashed claims it is a sign of jobs cuts to come.

Paisley Southeast Councillor Eddie Devine was critical of the change in opening hours, describing it as“completely unacceptable”.

He said:“I expect if I need to be in at the council to do what I need to do I have the ability to go in.

“It’s a seven-day operation. That’s a regular thing for a lot of councillors, they need to go in at the weekend.

“We have got four or five councillors that come in at the weekends. They come in and do their emails. All your paperwork and contacts are in the building.”

Staff and elected members have been asked to consider alternative arrangements, such as working from home.

But Councillor Devine has said that is not always possible.

He added:“We do work at home but sometimes you don’t have the stuff you need and you need to go in. It’s limiting our ability to serve.

“People pay us to work for them. People expect staff doing it seven days a week and they’re entitled to expect that.”

Renfrewshire Council said the decision to close the building at weekends was because it was not “cost effective”to remain open.

A spokeswoman said:“A decision was made to reduce the hours that Renfrewshire House remains open after a review indicated that the limited usage of the building means it is not cost effective to open routinely at weekends.

“The building will be open at weekends for the next few weeks to allow a transition to the change in opening hours.

“Going forward, councillors who require access over the weekend can submit advance notification and arrangements can be made for the building to be opened for them.

“Staff who still wish to work can also submit a request in advance. Many of our staff also have the facility to work remotely.

“There is no question of any jobs being affected by this measure.

“Out of hours emergency contact numbers for all council services such as housing and social work can continue to be accessed as usual by the public.”