The South Hams District Council reception has been closed since the offices shut during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused frustration for those that need assistance but struggle with using online services.

Some elderly members of the community have been travelling to the offices for assistance and ending up in Citizens Advice, which is opposite the council building, as they are unsure of where else to turn.

Cllr John McKay, of the Liberal Democrat party, is one of the councillors that have been lobbying for the offices to be reopened. 

He said: “It is an issue… I used to volunteer at Citizens Advice, and its causing lots of problems, with quite distressed people wanting to talk about issues such as housing and benefits and there’s no one there.”

The council have been providing a lot of their help and support online, which for many people is more convenient, however for lots of elderly members of the local community this means help is less accessible. 

Mr Mcckay added: “I think its wrong… not everyone does the internet, and people travel quite a long way because of the job centre as well.”

The suggestion of an online reception with a telephone and a screen has been proposed, but Mr Mckay said this is “not good enough for people with circumstances that are quite difficult”. 

He assured people that the offices will reopen, saying “it’s very important, so it is going to happen” and explaining that he has been part of “discussions about what can be done”, but he said the question lies in how long it will take for the offices to reopen. 

He said it could be “weeks or months”, but he hopes it is the former. 

To open the reception is part of the Liberal Democrats Manifesto, and Mr Mckay is lobbying for it to happen as quickly as possible.

The district council building is situated in Follaton House in Totnes. They offer advice and support on issues such as waste and recycling, council tax, planning and development management, the cost of living crisis and benefits. 

Covid-19 forced a lot of businesses and establishments to shift to providing their services online, but now the period of social distancing is over, the question must be posed of whether the council should offer more personal support to their constituents that are dealing with distressing issues, especially those that struggle to access online support and thus are at risk of falling through the gaps.