CITIZENS Advice Bureaus across Trafford have been permanently shutdown with immediate effect from today as council cutbacks begin to bite.

The shock announcement was made today by the Trafford Advice Partnership – a venture led by Citizen’s Advice Trafford, which will provide services for the next three years, albeit at vastly reduced levels.

Trafford Council pulled the plug on the previous Citizen’s Advice Bureau contract in March, as part of £22.5 million budget cuts, sparking a procurement process won by the Trafford Advice Partnership.

From today, July 31, Citizens Advice offices in Altrincham, Urmston, Stretford and Partington will close.

Due to the short notice of the announcement, a skeleton crew of staff will remain until next week at the closed centres, to direct drop-in users to the new telephony advice service.

Only the Sale office will remain open, offering telephone advice and pre-booked appointments only, until early September.

Advice will now mainly be given via telephone, with more detailed advice available at pre-booked appointments at Blue Sci wellbeing centres in Sale West, Broomwood, Old Trafford and Partington.

Chief officer for Citizens Advice Trafford, Dale Maskell said the lack of notice given to press and public of the closures was due to legal limitations of the contract procurement process.

He said that he couldn’t comment on the scale of job losses.

“At the moment we’re in the process of doing a consultation of the posts that are available in the new service,” he said.

Mr Maskell added: “This is a big change for our services and, working with our staff and volunteers, will help us to be more responsive to the needs of more people in Trafford, and target those in greatest need.”

The Citizen’s Advice Bureau, a charity that has operated in Trafford for 75 years and last year helped 5,295 people, previously expressed their concern over the ‘very short timescale’ of Trafford Council’s decision to withdraw the previous contract and ask would-be providers to deliver the service for less.

Council leader, Sean Anstee, argued: “The new service will maintain the number of access points for residents to receive advice and information and they will be co-located with health and wellbeing centres in four localities.  

“These access points were put forward by the providers and Trafford Council has not directed how office space is used, other than to confirm our commitment to face to face access to services within localities.

“New enhancements to the service will include alternative methods for accessing support including telephone, webcam and web chat so options open to residents to access the service will increase.”

Phil Aspden, chairman of Citizens Advice Trafford said: “The changes in our funding mean we have worked with our partners to design a new service that can meet local demand at a reduced cost.

“We will continue to innovate and monitor access to the Trafford Advice Partnership to ensure that Trafford residents get the information and advice that they need.”

People who already have appointments booked have been informed of the changes.

Anyone who needs advice should call Citizens Advice Trafford on 08444 994 103 (03004 562 568 from mobiles).

The new telephone service will operate between 10am to 4pm, and the opening hours will extend in the autumn when Citizens Advice Trafford joins the national Citizens Advice Adviceline service.