Huddersfield Cash Office to close after Cabinet decision

May 13 2009 By Barry Gibson

In 2008/09 the cash office handled 173,000 transactions, 85% if them in cash. The average payment was £61.11.

The new kiosks have an average transaction time of 90 seconds and will accept payment by cash, credit card and debit card. People can also pay bills at post offices and in shops with Paypoint or Payzone facilities.

There will be no redundancies as a result of the change. However, Unison has gathered signatures to a petition against the move, saying customers benefit from face-to-face service at staffed counters.

The union is also concerned that the council plans to close the cash offices at Dewsbury, Batley and Cleckheaton.

But council leader Clr Mehboob Khan branded this as "scaremongering" at yesterday’s meeting in Huddersfield Town Hall.

He said: "We will look at the cash offices in Dewsbury, Batley and Cleckheaton on a site-by-site basis. I was astounded by Unison’s scaremongering claims that these cash offices are going to close."