One of the busiest one-stop-shops in the borough has been saved from closure.

Following protests at the weekend, plans to close the council service at Rushmead in Bethnal Green were shelved at last night’s cabinet meeting.

Around 40 residents, community activists and trade union gathered outside the building on Saturday and about 800 signed a petition against the closure.

Mayor Lutfur Rahman, however, is still going ahead with cuts to the overall one-stop-shop budget.

Cllr Joshua Peck, leader of the Labour group, said: “The strength of support for our campaign to keep the one-stop-shop open meant that Mayor Rahman had to abandon his controversial proposals to close Rushmead.

“But he is still insisting on slashing funding for this crucial service, meaning that staff in the one-stop-shops could be drastically reduced.

“Residents will be forced to wait in long queues for essential services.

“We will be working hard to ensure that the council’s budget does not hit ordinary residents and vital services. ”