Tax Office Job Losses | "a blow for Pontypool and taxpayers"; Labour to Axe 850 High Quality Jobs

12.00.00am GMT Sat 1st Mar 2008

The Labour Westminster Government is to axe 850 highly skilled and well paid jobs from local tax offices in across South Wales.

Michael German AM, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wales said, "The jobs to be axed are well-paid, specialist tax jobs in Pontypool. They are going to be very hard to replace. Tax payers needing a face-to-face appointment and advice will be forced to travel to Cardiff. This is a dubbing down of the service to tax payers and a loss of service to the taxpaying customer."

Under the HMRC plans, Gwent will be left without any fully operational tax office, with the nearest centre being based in Cardiff.

Kathy Williams, a Torfaen Councillor added: "Pontypool is a well used and popular tax office for Torfaen and a wider area. This is a major cut in much needed jobs for the town and the loss of a fully operational Tax Office erodes the status of Newport as a major town. I have constituents who work at the office and it is clear this closure makes no sense at all. I will be fighting this closure all the way."

Michael German has also been at the forefront of a campaign by the staff at Pontypool's tax office to prevent the closure of the office there. He joined staff who would be threatened with redundancy or relocation to Cardiff on a journey by public transport to see for himself the impact the change would have Pontypool tax office workers.

He added, "These proposals fly in the face of all stated Welsh Assembly Government policy regarding sustainable development and spreading economic prosperity outside Cardiff. The Labour Government's proposals will see a massive centralisation shift towards Cardiff and a devastating loss of quality jobs in some of the poorest areas of Wales.

"It is widely felt that the consultation process to date has been a failure with alternative options to closure being ignored without consideration.

"I shall continue to press the Assembly Government for action by the Westminster Government to scrap their plans."