Social landlord Riverside has been accused of “abandoning” its Carlisle tenants ahead of the closure of the only reception desk.

County and city councillor Gareth Ellis also branded the housing association an “absentee landlord” amid claims the move spelled “a sad deterioration” for residents.

But Riverside has insisted that they remain “absolutely committed” to their residents with various investment schemes in the pipeline to offer support.

The reception desk at English Gate Plaza is set to close on Friday following a fall in customer numbers over recent years, with more people choosing to go online or call the 24-hour customer service centre.

But speaking at the Business and Transformation Scrutiny Panel last week, Mr Ellis said that some tenants needed “intensive support”.

He said: “It does feel like Riverside are just abandoning the city. This organisation has 7,000 to 8,500 tenants in the city. They have always had a customer-focusing interface either in this building [the Civic Centre] or a few years later in the building on Botchergate.

“It seems a sad deterioration for the residents of Carlisle who have Riverside as their landlord who now seem to have literally become an absentee landlord.”

Speaking after the meeting, he said that that Riverside had made “substantial improvements” to the city.

“But if Riverside didn’t want to do (manage) Carlisle accommodation they shouldn’t have taken on Carlisle housing,” he added.

Riverside has arranged to provide some services at the Civic Centre.

Customers will be able to speak to someone face-to-face and access Riverside’s services using the freephone or online.

They will also be able to pick up a copy of Cumbria Choice application forms.

The council will be able to draw an income of around £9,000 by providing the service on behalf of Riverside.

A council officer described the role as a “sign-posting service” run by the council’s reception team, a cheaper option than using advisors.Sarah Paton, regional director of Riverside, said: “We’re absolutely committed to our tenants in Carlisle and we undertook a month-long consultation asking tenants and stakeholders to give their views.

“To make sure customers can still speak to someone face to face and contact us by phone or online, we’ve arranged for staff at Carlisle Civic Centre to provide support on accessing our services and a phone for customers to use if they want to call us.

“Our hub office is still in the city centre and we now have 50 per cent more housing officers working in our neighbourhoods, which means that there’s more flexibility available to our customers to either visit their home or somewhere that’s convenient at a time that suits them. The changing habits of our customers means that there are less people visiting the reception desk but instead they are choosing to go online or call our 24-hour customer service centre.

“In addition, from the consultation feedback we have made arrangements with customers in circumstances where they would like to continue to meet face-to-face. Riverside is fully committed to Carlisle, our tenants and as a major employer in the city.”

The organisation confirmed it has several housing developments in the offing.

Among its initiatives is the Driving Back to Work training programme, a month-long course and driving lessons for tenants and a Carlisle-based sports mentoring programme.