Don't Shut Down Our One Stop Shops!

John Biggs led Tower Hamlets Council is planning to shut down One Stop Shops in the borough which provide invaluable services to our residents, friends, family members and loved ones.

This means there will no longer be face to face service about parking, housing benefits, council tax, welfare etc. for the local community in stand-alone One Stop Shops with their expert knowledge and expertise to help residents – many of whom would be vulnerable in a distressed situation or in need of help.

Yet again, while the Labour Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs enjoys his own 11.7% salary increase – the residents’ services are being slashed and those most in need are left to fend for themselves.

The rationale or ‘excuse’ provided is to move the service online which will alienate the elderly, those who do not use a computer, find reading a challenge, special needs or for whom the first language is not English.

Separately, there are also concerns about data breaches or information being passed on to third parties using the new wi-fi model.

There is a genuine fear that the face to face service will completely disappear even if any temporary stop-gap-measures or a promise to see complicated cases at future date was made initially to get the changes through now in order to manage any protest or to negate the complaints from the users, staff and others.

I have raised this important issue with the council in detail and am awaiting further information and answers in relation to the concerns many residents and I share about this cut which will mean there will no longer be any stand-alone One Stop Shops in the borough.

Please sign the petition and pass it on to your friend, families and those concerned so that we can put pressure on the Mayor and Council to stop this decision.