Operations Halted: Commission's Decision on Temporarily Halting Operations
The city of Solingen has announced that the Ohligs Citizens' Office will be closed from July 14, 2023, until the end of September, due to staff shortages. The closure is attributed to vacation claims, illness, and the onboarding of new employees, as well as the upcoming municipal election.
During this period, the passport collection service will be temporarily redirected to the main Citizens' Office located at Neumarkt 1 in Solingen. Citizens needing to collect their passports are advised to go to the main office instead of the Ohligs branch. This arrangement ensures continued service availability despite the closure of the Ohligs office.
The increased demand during the summer holidays will be handled by the Mitte Citizens' Office. The services of the Citizens' Offices in Mitte and Höhscheid will continue to be offered in full. The employees of the Ohligs Citizens' Office will be deployed in the Mitte and Höhscheid Citizens' Offices until the end of September.
The closure of the Ohligs Citizens' Office will last for three months, and the city did not specify alternate locations for citizens to access services during this time. The services of the Ohligs Citizens' Office will not be affected after September 29.
It's worth noting that the Ohligs Citizens' Office is one of the Citizens' Offices in Solingen. The municipal election is scheduled to take place at an undisclosed date, and a direct election office will be set up in the Ohligs Citizens' Office starting August 11. The municipal and immigration and integration council elections will take place on September 14.
The city did not disclose the exact number of staff members affected by the shortages. The closure of the Ohligs Citizens' Office and the staff shortages are contributing factors to the election preparations. The citizens' services in Ohligs will be available again around September 29.
This closure is part of a larger trend of staff shortages affecting public services across various cities and countries, highlighting the challenges faced by local governments in maintaining essential services during peak periods and amidst staffing changes.
- The municipal and immigration and integration council elections, scheduled for September 14, will be taking place at the Ohligs Citizens' Office, where a direct election office will be set up from August 11.
- The temporary closure of the Ohligs Citizens' Office from July 14 to September 29 is part of an ongoing issue of staff shortages in politics and general-news, affecting public services in various cities and countries.
