OKEHAMPTON councillors have expressed anger at the impact a cut in the opening hours of the town?s job centre is having on those seeking work or claiming benefits. They say now the centre is only open on Wednesdays it is too busy, while many unemployed people also now have to travel to Exeter to access specialist advisory services. Cllr David Weekes said: ?I went into the office to see what it was like. People were queuing up to see someone. There are always half a dozen people waiting. ?Some people have to go into Exeter. If they don?t have their own transport, it takes them a day to do that. They have to go in on the bus in the morning, have their meeting, and then wait around for a couple of hours for a bus back. ?That is a whole day gone, whereas if they could do it in Okehampton, they could get on with starting to look for a job.? Cllr Weekes said the population of the town was growing yet the actual services for getting people into work was on the decrease, making it harder for people to get jobs. He thought it was a ?disgusting waste of money? that such a prominent town centre building was standing idle six days a week, when the town needed more prime location shops to boost the local economy. From the beginning of the month, the Jobcentre Plus office in Fore Street has been open for just six hours on a Wednesday, having previously opened on a Tuesday and Thursday. Cllr Christine Marsh said the staff were now working ?flat out? on a Wednesday since the opening hours had been cut in half, and seemed to be encountering difficulties in coping with demand. She said the town was increasing in size and needed vital services based in the community. Mayor of Okehampton Tony Leech agreed, saying he was concerned that the cuts would have ?a big impact on the community? and being open just one day a week was ?not acceptable?. The issue was discussed by Okehampton Town Council at its meeting on Monday. Councillors agreed to write a ?strongly worded letter? outlining their disappointment at the decision to the relevant authorities. A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: ?We regularly review the services we provide, to ensure we deliver the best value for money to the tax payer, and will continue to do so. ?If we did propose to make any further reductions to the Okehampton Jobcentre Plus office opening hours, we would consult with local stakeholders, to consider all available options to deliver Jobcentre Plus services in the Okehampton area.?
