A FAILED merger, staffing problems and lack of support from the national association led to the closure of the West Wiltshire Citizens Advice Bureau, members have said.

The service is to be wound up following a decision at the bureau's annual general meeting on Wednesday, where members passed a vote of no confidence in the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NACAB), by 17 votes to 14.

Chairman Roger Stanbury said many factors had conspired against the organisation, including the recent merger of the Warminster and Trowbridge bureaux and staffing problems which left the service without a manager for more than a year.

Initially, a temporary closure was agreed, but concerns about the quality of service being given in the district, voiced by NACAB, the service's funders Wiltshire County Council and West Wiltshire District Council and neighbouring bureaux led the management committee to decide closure was the only option.

Mr Stanbury said: "There really is no choice but, with regret, the only responsible decision to take was to recommend closure."

He said there was a crumb of comfort in the news that negotiations were under way with the neighbouring Frome and north Wiltshire bureaux for a temporary covering service, so people in west Wiltshire would not be without advice.

The meeting heard a check of NACAB's membership requirements showed the bureau complied with just 20 out of 111.

Secretary Edward Jones said: "The last two years have been absolute hell.

"We have done our best to try and keep this going. The general feeling now is we need a clean start with people bringing no baggage to it at all.

He said it was accepted there had been difficulties because the service has had no manager, but there were other problems.

Mr Jones said: "In all but name we are still operating two bureaux and that is not what funders want."

Former worker and committee member Finola Peckham said it was now time for everyone to examine their consciences and take something positive from the events.

She said: "It doesn't matter what we think individually. We have got to work in unison to build up a service for the people of west Wiltshire."

Advice in Warminster is to be provided by the Frome bureau on a temporary basis and it is hoped a home service will be available in Westbury.