Worrying time for Jobcentre staff in Peterborough over office closure fears

The public services union, the PCS, has claimed that the Jobcentre in Bridge Street could be shut next year along with others across the country.

Union officials say if the closures of 13 offices go ahead, it could lead to 1,000 jobs being axed with more jobs lost with the closure and relocation of a further 29 offices.

It says the closures are scheduled to happen by June 2023.

But the Department of Work and Pensions’ second Peterborough JobCentre office in Northminster House, in Northminster Road, which opened last year with 87 staff, is not among the offices the union says are listed for closure.

A Government spokesperson said the changes would only involve back office staff who would be offered other roles within the organisation.

A PCS union spokesperson said: “The government was quick to praise civil servants at the start of the pandemic, but ministers are even quicker to fire them now they have declared the pandemic over.

“Our members have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, keeping the country running, paying out benefits to almost two-and-a-half million families, helping them to put food on their table and keep a roof over their head.

“Now, as food and fuel prices rise faster than ever, they are being abandoned and left to fend for themselves.

“But PCS is determined to fight for them.

“An online meeting of all PCS DWP branches is planned for March 25.”

Concerns over possible closure of JobCentre offices was raised by MPs in the House of Commons.

Work and Pensions minister David Rutley said: “We have been working very closely with colleagues and with PCS over recent months.

“There are going to be around 12,000 colleagues who will be moving from one site to another in close proximity, around 28 sites involved there.

“In terms of colleagues that will be affected where there is no other strategic site nearby, there are around 1,300 colleagues that could be involved.”

A government spokesperson said: “As part of plans to improve the services we deliver to claimants, help more people into employment and modernise public services, DWP is moving some back office staff to better, greener offices, which will not affect any public-facing roles.

“This is not a plan to reduce our headcount – where possible, our colleagues in offices due to close are being offered opportunities to be redeployed to a nearby site, or retrained into a new role in DWP or another government department.

“We are making every effort to fully support our staff through this process.”

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