Five Glasgow Citizens Advice bureaux saved from closure

20 Mar 2012 News

A local consortium has intervened to prevent the closure of five Glasgow Citizens Advice bureaux at the end of March, resulting from a failed local authority tender bid.

A local consortium has intervened to prevent the closure of five Glasgow Citizens Advice bureaux at the end of March, resulting from a failed local authority tender bid.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) announced the closures on Monday 12 March after losing a competitive tender bid to run the advice services from these five bureaux. The closure would have resulted in loss of 42 jobs.

But after negotiation an agreement was reached, in principle, on 16 March with the Glasgow Advice Agency (GAA) consortium which had won the contracts in the council tender. The two organisations have now agreed in principle on sub-contracts allowing the five offices to stay open for the next three years.

The new deal represents a reduction in funding, although a £250,000 annual top-up has been agreed to by Glasgow City Council. CAS has since claimed this is still a real-terms funding cut due to levels of inflation.

The five CABs are in the Bridgeton, Castlemilk, Pollok, Easterhouse and Parkhead areas of the city. Advisory contracts in other areas of Glasgow were secured by CAB. Last year the service helped nearly 27,000 people in the city.

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