Sandwell Homes property shops shut to save £400,000
Two property shops which allow people to browse and bid for new homes are to close, saving a Black Country borough's biggest housing organisation about £400,000.
Two property shops which allow people to browse and bid for new homes are to close, saving a Black Country borough's biggest housing organisation about £400,000.
Sandwell Homes, which looks after 29,000 council houses, is shutting two of its three property shops in Wednesbury and West Bromwich.
Housing bosses today said no job losses would occur as a result of the closures and services would be relocated. The branches to shut are in Walsall Street, Wednesbury, and High Street, West Bromwich.
The third property shop in Payne Street, Blackheath, will remain open.
Norman Fletcher, general manager of housing services, said: "Walsall Street property shop will be relocated into Wednesbury housing services centre at High Bullen as part of our strategy to create one-stop shops for all our customers.
"We consulted over the relocation as part of our customer access review and are confident that it will result in a more focussed service for customers as well as delivering efficiency savings.
"As a result of the customer access review, Sandwell Homes will also be relocating the West Bromwich property shop into the existing housing services centre on West Bromwich High Street."
Housing services centres allow people to pay their rent and council tax, report repairs and speak to housing experts.
Sandwell Homes said bringing all of the services under one roof would improve things for customers.
It said total savings arising from the customer access review are around £400,000.
The property shop re-locations will affect 12 employees in terms of where they are located.
Wednesbury councillor Bill Archer today welcomed the move.
Councillor Archer, who represents Wednesbury North, said: "Everyone needs to save money in the current economic climate and this is a smart way to do it.
"There will be no job losses and the services in both Wednesbury and West Bromwich will be relocated to centres that are not too far away.
"I think it makes sense for everything to be under one roof."
