A PETITION listing hundreds of signatures is objecting to plans that could see the closure of a cash office.

Bromley Council says it is looking closely at proposals to shut its cash office in Orpington because it wants to make "effective use" of the facility.

The office in the Walnuts shopping centre is currently used by locals to pay council tax and rent, and more than 460 people have signed a petition calling for the plans to be scrapped.

The petition says if the closure goes ahead “many elderly in the Orpington area are going to find it very difficult to travel to Bromley to pay their council tax and rent”.

Other than the Orpington High Street branch, the nearest cash office is at the civic offices in Stockwell Close, Bromley - more than five miles away.

Clemina Dorman, who lives in Orpington High Street, says she uses the office every month and is worried staff working there may lose their jobs.

Bus travel

The 70-year-old said: “The pensioners don’t want it closed, we don’t want to travel to Bromley.

“A lot of these decisions are taken without a thought for the people using the services.

“Pensioners visit that particular office to pay their council tax, it saves getting on a bus.”

The former civil servant added: “I am lucky I can still use the bus, many pensioners can’t travel that far.”

It is understood the cash office in Orpington could close as early as next month.

However, council chiefs say bills can still be settled in HSBC bank branches, including the one in Orpington high street.

A council spokesman said: “The council is currently looking at proposals to ensure the most effective use of our premises at the Walnuts.

"In doing so, we want to reassure residents in the area that there is provision for people to continue to pay their bills locally in the event of closing the council cash office."