Enfield Town's Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is to close next year, leaving residents with a long journey to make to alternative offices.

The organisation, which provides assistance with benefits and consumer issues, currently has branches in Enfield Town, Palmers Green and Edmonton. Staff at these sites help 13,000 residents each year and annually deal with 39,000 cases.

But now Enfield Council, which owns the CAB's HQ in Little Park Gardens, has ordered the group off the premises and into a new purpose-built building in Nags Head High Road, Ponders End.

The move is set to go ahead next January and means the CAB will share facilities with the charity Age Concern, and Christian Action Housing Association.

The council is currently engaged in a comprehensive review of its properties which could lead to an asset stripping exercise.

It has stated that the existing sites are unsuitable for the needs of the organisation.

Chief executive of Enfield CAB Fiyaz Mughal was pensive about the move. He said: "It is both a positive and a negative thing.

"The move will increase our exposure in poorer parts of the borough, but the council must facilitate our access to other sites."

The shake-up could make it harder for some of those in need to get the help they need, so the CAB has responded by introducing hot desking. Teams of advisors will move between well-used sites, such as libraries, to provide the service. The group is also hoping to expand its call centre operation.

Palmers Green representative, Cllr Bambos Charalambous opposed the move. He said: "I am outraged and appalled that the council is doing this. It wants to get their hands on capital assets to sell to developers and people in my ward will suffer as a result."

Hawa Omer, 24, of Enfield Highway, meets people in crisis every day in her role as a CAB advisor. She said that the true impact of the move would not be felt for some time, but feared that some residents could lose out.

She said: "It will mean a long journey for some people to see us. They will have to take one or two buses." Ms Omer voiced concerns over the lack of rooms at the new base, but added that she was looking forward to liasing with other charities.

A council spokesman rejected the claim that the move is being made with a view to selling the properties.

He said: "The move is about providing a better service, and is not driven by the review of assets.

"We are certainly promoting outreach work by the CAB and will work with the organisation to make their services as accessible as possible."

"The new centre in Nags Head Road will be state-of-the-art and demonstrates a genuine willingness to invest in partnership between the council, the CAB, Age Concern and Christian Action Housing."

More and more young men are approaching Enfield CAB for help with money woes, while personal debt looks set to outstrip benefits as the most common inquiry.

Enfield Council and the CAB have a three-year grant arrangement where the authority provides the group with £390,000 a year. In 2005 the grant was cut by £50,000.