THE Citizens' Advice Bureau will continue at the town hall after Malmesbury town councillors backed down on the decision not to staff the front door.

The CAB, which gives advice on a wide range of issues including debt repayments and employment rights, said it was forced to close its weekly confidential session after a huge drop in the number of callers.

The bureau blamed the fall on a new entrance policy at the town hall which, it said compromised its confidential service and scared off visitors.

The new policy meant that clients had to use the entrance to the tourist information office in Market Lane

The town council would not agree to open the front door after last-ditch negotiations failed at the beginning of last week.

Following local protest, the council had a change of heart and pledged to man the front door between 10am and 1pm every Wednesday from next week .

Before November, the front door was open for five hours, enabling the CAB to hold sessions from 10am until 3pm.

North Wiltshire CAB deputy manager Sheila Venn was happy a compromise had been reached even though the new sessions are two hours shorter than previously.

"Three hours service is much better than none. The thing that is important is that people get access to some independent advice," she said.

She hopes the CAB can open for longer in the near future.

She said: "We have considerable demand for the service in Malmesbury which means a five hour service is the service we need.

"If we are only open from 10am to 1pm it means some people will not have access.".

The Mayor of Malmesbury Charles Vernon was equally glad the service, which has operated in Malmesbury for the last 16 years, would continue.

He said: "This is not a facility that we wish to lose."

However county councillor John Thomson was not happy about the shortened hours.

He wanted the CAB to be able to return to the 10am to 3pm service without clients having to enter by the tourist information office.

"It is ridiculous the town council is reducing the CAB's hours when all it has to do is man the door for five hours."

Malmesbury Town Council clerk, Edward Ferguson, came under fire from council members for not reaching an amicable agreement without the CAB going to the press.

Edmund Dias, the acting chairman of the accounts policy and public relation committee, said it had been council policy that the CAB should be retained.

He said he was quite taken aback by the story because Mr Ferguson had assured him that a settlement would be reached.

He said: "The committee did not want the CAB to close. The clerk gave us assurances that the matter would be resolved on the basis that CAB should be there.

"It is his job as chief administrator of our town council to ensure operational policy is carried out.

"It is very unfortunate this was allowed to happen."

Mr Ferguson declined to comment to the Gazette.

Last week Coun Vernon said the reason the town hall had closed the front door in November was because youths were misbehaving in the toilets.

Coun Judy Jones said:"It is a public building and we need to make sure we have a proper access to it."

North Wiltshire district councillors expressed concern at the way the CAB had been treated at a meeting last Thursday.

Coun Jane Scott said it was important that the CAB should be able to carry out its business properly.

It was agreed to write to the town council asking that the original hours from 10am to 3pm should be reinstated.