Flintshire Connects centres face review after drop in visitors
Flintshire County Council will discuss next week whether to make major changes to its Connects service.
The service currently operates from centres in Buckley, Connah’s Quay, Flint, Holywell and Mold, offering face-to-face help with Blue Badge applications, benefits, homelessness, housing and recycling. It also supports residents who struggle to access council services online.
Usage has fallen sharply since the pandemic. In 2018–19, more than 27,000 people visited the Flint centre, but by 2024–25 that had dropped to under 13,500. Holywell fell from more than 26,000 visitors to just under 16,000, and Mold almost halved. Buckley and Connah’s Quay saw smaller reductions, but overall footfall across the service is down by more than a third.
A public consultation drew 1,205 responses. Almost half of those surveyed said they had never heard of Flintshire Connects. A quarter said they no longer visited because they now carried out tasks online. Those who did use the service said they mainly attended to collect recycling receptacles, apply for Blue Badges, or seek help with benefits and housing.
Three options are now on the table. One would keep all five centres open but on reduced hours, which officers warn is not sustainable given fewer staff and falling demand. A second option would close all centres and move services fully online and by telephone, a move that could disadvantage older residents and those without internet access.
The third option, recommended by officers, is to introduce a peripatetic model, meaning staff would no longer be based full-time in one place but would run part-time sessions at the existing centres alongside community “pop-up” surgeries in other towns and villages.
Councillors at a member workshop in June supported the idea, suggesting it would allow more targeted help such as housing or council tax surgeries, digital skills training, and advice events held closer to where people live.
The service has already been hit by a £77,000 budget reduction for 2025–26, reducing the number of staff. Officers say a flexible model would make better use of limited resources while extending the reach of the service to areas not currently covered, such as Saltney, Penyffordd and Ffynnongroyw.
The council report states: “Whilst a peripatetic model may not suit everyone, making better use of limited resources and extending the ‘reach’ will improve access for more people, in new places.”
The proposals are due to be considered by Cabinet on Tuesday 16 September.
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