Government to close 1 in 10 Job Centres

[steveL]

BBC News. Wonder how safe ours is . . .

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

From the article below, it seems that the PCS union has been the first to spring the news. Looks like it's linked with buildings 'leases', but it seems vastly unfair should claimants have to bear additional travel costs. Surely they won't close the Hartlepool one ... it's about the only growth area in the town.

http://www.itv.com/news/2017-01-26/thousands-of-jobs-at-risk-in-job-centre-closures-plan/

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Looks like Hartlepool will remain.

http://qna.files.parliament.uk/ws-attachments/678953/original/DWP%20Estates%20Proposals.pdf

[marky]

isn't this all about PFI? Buildings built in hoc to property developers at extortionate leasing terms. They should move the Job Centre into Middleton Grange in the dog leg - handier for King John's 

[steveL]

did anyone ever move into the old Job Centre in Victoria Road or is it still empty?

[kevplumb]

still empty

[steveL]

still empty

Makes you wonder just how much in business rates is lost through all of these empty properties. It's going to be a real problem when the rates start to go direct to the council and the transition period is over. There should be a register of empty properties.

[Inspector Knacker]

BBC News. Wonder how safe ours is . . .

Give them time. A few years down the line when Clevelandstein is back from the dead, we'll have one mega job centre in Middlesbrough and everyone will travel in to sign on. Massively inconvenient, but as we well know a centralised service is just so much better. As if.
The trouble now is that jokes have an habit of becoming policy, or in our case, elected.