A VITAL hub in Alexandria will be shutting its doors - just as the cost-of-living crisis is getting worse.

West Dunbartonshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has confirmed it will be shutting its existing office in Alexandria. It will instead create “outreach points” in community settings in the next few months.

CAB insisted it no longer made sense to force people into town centres to access help.

But politicians have expressed concern at the changes at a time when more residents need help managing bills. They blamed funding cuts for the move, something which CAB denied.

Community Party councillor Jim Bollan said: “This is another blow to Alexandria, losing CAB when it is needed most in the middle of a cost of living crisis for thousands of local people. There is no substitute to face to face contact - this is the feedback I get from constituents trying to access WDC services. With the impending closure of the Post Office and the loss of 25 badly needed housing units for rent also in Alexandria, the outlook is very bleak for the town.”

The current CAB office in Bank Street celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. But the charity has seen a change in the way people use its service since the pandemic, with more people using its telephone and online platforms rather than the traditional face-to-face advice.

The new outreach points are expected to be found in community halls, libraries and other community settings.

Joe McCormack, West Dunbartonshire CAB manager, told the Reporter:“In the last three-month period, we dealt with, 3,348 enquiries covering 8,670 issues.

“We’re helping more people now than we were helping before lockdown. What has changed is that over 95 per cent of those enquiries were dealt with over the telephone, via email or via Livechat.

“We’ve been very aware of the needs of those people who aren’t comfortable or can’t use digital or telephone services.

“We feel that forcing people to travel into the town centres if they want to speak to us is not consistent with the way people live in 2022. Our offices are not being used as much: people want more flexibility and convenience, and it’s up to us to respond to that.

“We are now relocating our office space to make our face-to-face service much more localised than ever before.

“We are also looking at how to offer more home visits. If local people need our free, confidential advice they will have more options than ever to access it.

“I want to stress that this decision is not made because of funding cuts. This is a positive decision to bring the CAB into the 21st century and means we are offering people more ways to interact with us. It is not about closing down our advice but relocating it.

Depute council leader Councillor Michelle McGinty said: “The organisation has always dealt with a number of enquiries on the telephone and online but this has steadily increased over recent years.

“The proposed sale of the property to Lidl for additional car parking space means that the CAB would no longer have to pay rental and energy costs for a building it no longer requires.

“I fully support West Dunbartonshire CAB and I want it to continue to develop its services for local people and I’m pleased that the council’s plans to sell off the offices in Alexandria will help it to expand and improve its services to local people.”

Dumbarton’s MSP Jackie Baillie, said: “It is disappointing to hear that Alexandria CAB is closing during a cost-of-living crisis.

“The staff and volunteers do an invaluable job to help residents with queries on a wide variety of topics, often being a lifeline in a desperate time of need.”