Liverpool’s residents are being urged to give their views on a series of potential cuts to the council’s budget next year, including the closure of the city’s One Stop Shops.
The council is currently in consultations over the budget it will set for the next financial year, with people able to give their views until mid-February.
The local authority needs to find around £15.4m in budget savings in the next financial year and has outlined a series of proposals to make savings on its website.
The draft budget proposes a series of cost saving measures, with many taking the form of the deletion of empty posts within departments or restructuring of certain services.
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However, the most controversial plan so far is a proposal to shut all of the city’s One Stop Shops.
Located in eight different areas of Liverpool, the One Stop Shops provide a range of different council services to people under one roof. Under the closure plans, they would be replaced with pop up services.
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A union representing council employees claimed earlier this week that the move could leave vulnerable residents with “nowhere to turn” as well as risking up to 40 council jobs.
The council say the closure of the one stop shops during the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the viability of phone and online-based facilities for city residents, but Unison warns disadvantaged groups, including pensioners, those without IT access and people who speak English as a second language would be left struggling to access council services as a result.
Riverside MP Kim Johnson has said the service was a “lifeline for residents who would otherwise struggle to access key services.”
A spokesperson for Liverpool Council said: “We have to save £15.4 million in the coming financial year and are consulting on a range of options to balance the budget.
“Over the last three years, footfall at One Stop Shops has fallen by 30 per cent, and during lockdown residents have been successfully accessing services online and on the telephone.
“One of the budget proposals is a review of One Stop Shops which would see us move to a model of ‘pop up’ facilities within community buildings and at community events, such as libraries or community centres.
“This would give people more flexible and convenient access to services that fits around their day. No final decision has yet been made.”
Liverpool Council are encouraging members of the public to give their views on the budget proposals, including the potential closure of the One Stop Shops, by February.
The One Stop Shops are currently located in the city centre, Dingle, Old Swan, Norris Green, Kirkdale, Wavertree, Garston and Speke.
Full information on the city’s budgetary proposals and instructions on how to comment can be found at https://liverpool.gov.uk/council/budgets-and-finance/budget/
