Birmingham’s opposition Labour leader has called on the ruling Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition to resign after it emerged the city’s five Citizen’s Advice Bureau offices are to close next month following the withdrawal of council funding.

Labour group leader Sir Albert Bore said that the council was targeting frontline services for the city’s most vulnerable people by cutting a £600,000 grant to the CAB.

Coun Bore (Ladywood) said: “They should resign. Yes, there is a major, unavoidable cut to the city council budget for 2011-2 following on from the Government’s reductions in grant support of £170 million, but that does not give the Tory-Lib Dem coalition in Birmingham the green light to take away the funding from the Birmingham Citizen’s Advice Bureau and many other third sector organisations.

“We need a ‘plan B’ which will avoid cuts, such as those to CAB. These cuts will add further misery and anxiety for many thousands of Birmingham residents.

“I say to Mike Whitby, resign and allow the Labour Group to provide a much-needed new leadership for this council.”

His call came after CAB, which offers advice on a range of problems from debt and benefits to homelessness and relationships, announced it is closing its offices in the city centre, Kingstanding, Handsworth, Tyseley and Northfield unless it can find the £50,000 a month needed to keep them going. It says that it cannot bridge the gap to a new fund being introduced in August.

But Liberal Democrat MP for Yardley John Hemming suggested CAB may be making a political point on spending by shutting up shop. He said: “I think we can put forward proposals and look at options to find a way forward to keep the offices open. I want to help the CAB and have asked for a meeting with them, but this has not happened.”