Torbay council have announced that Torquay and Brixham Connections offices will be closing at 5 pm on Friday 5 August.
From Monday 8 August 2016, the Torbay Council Connections service will be centralised to one office and will only be operating from Paignton Library and Information Centre. This office will be open Monday to Friday from 9 am until 5 pm.
This decision was made by full Council on 11 May 2016 following the trial closures which took place in October last year.
Residents who usually visit the Torquay and Brixham offices, and who cannot travel to Paignton Connections, will still have a range of ways to contact Torbay Council. This includes online, using the council’s website, or by telephone. Free phones will also be available in Torquay and Brixham Libraries to enable residents to connect with a range of council services.
Secure document boxes will be in place, again in Torquay and Brixham Libraries, for customers who are required to submit supporting evidence and information, but are unable to travel to Paignton. The documents will then by returned to customers by post.
A pre-booked appointment service will also be made available for customers who are unable to resolve their enquiry over the phone or online. These appointments will be with a member of the Connections team within Brixham and Torquay Library one day per week.
Cllr Richard Haddock, Executive Lead for Business Services, said: “Following the trial closure last year, full Council were presented with all the feedback received and the decision to close Torquay and Paignton Connections offices was made. We are aware this decision will have an impact on a number of our residents but for us to continue making the savings required, difficult decisions like this need to be made.
“We are continually looking at how to streamline and improve our services using our already heavily reduced budget. Which is why we will monitor the impact this closure has and will, if need be, amend the services that will be provided in the Torquay and Brixham Libraries.”
