Perhaps the people of Northwich are not aware that the plan to transfer all office processing to the Chester office, leaving only a limited customer service at Northwich, would affect all local claimants of Income Support, Incapacity Benefit, Pensions, DLA, Family and Child Benefit, Maternity Allowance, etc.

People making claims of any sort would have to travel to Chester, be subjected to longer waiting times, and have to endure frustrating telephone waits and a severe reduction in the quality of service.

Claimants requiring private interviews would suffer waiting times, while the minimum staff at Northwich telephoned the central office at Chester to check records.

The final decision to close the Northwich office will be made in December 1998. There are very few local people who have never had reason to use this office at some time in the past, or might not require its services in the future. It is imperative that the local community do everything they can before December when the final decision will be made, in an effort to keep this office open. Northwich needs a local Benefits Agency, and unless the residents of Northwich do something now, it will be too late and Northwich will end up being another casualty of pointless Government cuts.

MRS NELLIST

Barnton.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.