AN 11th hour agreement has saved Edmonton's Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) from closure.

A sub-committee of the CAB Board of Trustees met on Monday and agreed to formally apply for funds from Enfield Council to fund a permanent move to Community House in Fore Street.

The council will offer £27,000 to fund a full service in Community House from money which had been put into a special account for future CAB relocation.

Council leader Michael Rye said: "We will do what we can where possible to help out organisations such as the CAB to continue the good work they do on behalf of the community."

An interim period will now follow while preparations are made to offer a full service from the new premises.

Chairman of the CAB board, Roger Buckley, said: "I would like to thank the council for this offer of Community House. It's important that we have a home in Edmonton.

"We did not want to leave but we felt that we had no option. However, we now have a viable long-term solution."

But Edmonton MP Andy Love, who has spearheaded the campaign to keep the service open, was wary of the new arrangements.

He said he had been given no assurances from Mr Buckley that the service in Community House will be as comprehensive as that offered previously.

He is also concerned about the length of the interim period. He said: "They may not be able to provide a full service in the interim period.

"There is no service to new clients at the moment. If you are a new client you have to go to one of the other offices in the borough."

But he added that he was pleased with the campaign's progress. He said: "When we started protesting, the service was going to be cut completely."

"Now I think we should have the new service running by the autumn."

April 30, 2003 10:00