CASH payments may soon be a thing of the past at Bridgegate House - but the move could put jobs at risk.

North Ayrshire Council are in the midst of planning new arrangements to move away from over-the-counter cash transactions at both Bridgegate House and Saltcoats Town Hall.

This could see the council reduce costs by £270,000 per year.

But although NAC have refused to speculate on potential job cuts they confirmed there will be changes to staffing.

Many local authorities across Britain have moved away from cash transactions in favour of other payment methods.

Both Bridgegate House and Saltcoats Town Hall are the bases for the council’s social services, housing, registrations, council tax and benefits services.

The council first announced plans to redesign their cash collection services in the 2014 budget.

A new survey has been launched to gauge the opinion of customers.

But the council appear to be well ahead in the move, asking residents in the survey what alternative payments ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ cash payments are scrapped.

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We have launched this customer consultation survey following the budget decision by council in December 2014 to redesign our cash collection facilities.

“The survey will help us gather feedback on how we can support customers at Bridgegate House and Saltcoats Town Hall to move away from cash transactions to other methods of payment.

“In common with many other local authorities, we are looking to reduce the cost of processing in-person cash and cheque payments which costs about £270,000 a year.”

The spokesperson added: “As part of the consultation, we are speaking with customers about alternative payment methods, such as direct debit. We are also planning to install payment kiosks in Bridgegate House and Saltcoats Town Hall to provide flexibility for customers.

“Customers will still be able to pay cash at 129 locations across North Ayrshire, including Paypoint outlets and Post Offices. 

“We anticipate final implementation of the new arrangements at Bridgegate House by the end of the year and Saltcoats Town Hall shortly thereafter. There will be some changes to our staffing which we will manage in line with our normal procedures.”