Dudley jobs walk-in centre will be axed within a year of opening

The authority’s Fit for the Future/Council Sustainability Select Committee’s meeting on July 25 will be told services will be redirected to local hubs or to online and telephone services as part of a review of how the council operates.

Dudley is looking for ways to shave millions of pounds off its spending and the Castle Street centre is too expensive according to senior officers.

In a joint report for the committee, head of digital and customer service, Nicola Biddle and lead director of digital, customer and commercial services, Luisa Fulci, said: “Year on year, customers visiting Dudley Council Plus walk-in centre has decreased, meaning the Dudley Council Plus Walk-in centre is costly to operate.

“The average cost per contact exceeds £14. This compares to less than £1 cost per contact to provide the MyDudley service.”

They add the Dudley Council Plus office is in a prime location in Dudley town centre and moving out would provide an opportunity to generate capital.

During the 2023/24 financial year 700,000 calls were made to the council while 17,000 people visited the walk-in centre with 3,200 people requiring one-to-one service or further action.

The rest were dealt with at the reception desk with enquiries that could have been resolved online or over the phone.

Under the plan most of the services provided at Dudley Council Plus would be transferred to a self-service model with information available on how to access help provided at libraries, family centres and Housing Hubs around the borough.

The centre also handles enquiries from people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Most cases are dealt with via phone calls but the report says between March and May 2024, 210 people arrived at Dudley Council Plus and 25 were asked to wait for an interview while a further four cases per day were seen in person by staff at the centre.

The council has a legal duty to help homeless people and says it would relocate in-person services to other centres if Dudley Council Plus were closed.

Full council will be asked to approve the closure of Dudley Council Plus at its meeting in August.