MP backs opposition to tax office move
Last updated 13:27, Thursday, 03 July 2008
CONSULTATION on the future of Hexham Tax Office has revealed overwhelming opposition to its relocation.
HM Revenue and Customs is currently investigating the possibility of closing its centres in Hexham, Alnwick and Bishop Auckland and replacing them with enquiry offices, which customers could use to contact a call centre for advice.
Twenty jobs would be lost to Hexham if the proposal to move staff to the service’s head office in Longbenton, outside Newcastle, goes ahead.
If all three centres close, there will be no tax office between Edinburgh and Tyneside, a distance of 120 miles.
The move is designed to centralise revenue and customs business in four main locations, split between Newcastle and Washington.
The final decision won’t be announced for another two or three weeks, but the consultation has elicited strong views from staff, unions, businesses and members of the public in general.
Staff are concerned about transport and the travelling time that would be added to their working day.
Meanwhile members of the public and businesses object to the loss of the face-to-face advice they currently enjoy.
Hexham’s MP Peter Atkinson said he had raised the matter with senior management at HMRC, and he would be making further representations to the workforce change team responsible for the proposals.
“I have had conversations with a number of staff who are very concerned, because it would all mean a huge change in their lifestyle,” he said.
“For those who live at Haydon Bridge and beyond, it would be virtually impossible to make the journey to Longbenton on public transport – it would be a long, expensive journey even for those living in Hexham.”
Parking at HMRC headquarters was also a problem, because the number of parking bays had been kept deliberately low to encourage the use of public transport.
A compensatory payment being proposed of 25p per mile would only be payable for the first three years following the move and would be liable to tax.
Staff had not been offered the option of voluntary redundancy or early retirement, so many felt they were being forced to accept redeployment.
But moving house in the current economic climate wasn’t a possibility for some, particularly if they had children settled at local schools.
Business people and members of the public also stood to lose an important service.
“I understand that when the two departments of customs and revenue were merged there had to be some rationalisation,” said Mr Atkinson.
“But what I don’t want to see is another reduction in the public services provided to my constituents.
“We do need a proper facility to deal with tax issues locally in Hexham – a place where people can receive one-to-one advice on what are sometimes complex issues; that is important.”
The Public and Commercial Services Union is warning that the service to residents and business people will change irrevocably.
Branch committee member David Archibald said: “There will be no more popping into your local centre for help – instead you’ll ring an anonymous call centre that could be anywhere in the country.”
Two-thirds of the 22 staff were female, almost half worked part-time and most couldn’t make the journey to Longbenton for family reasons.
The former tax office in Hexham has been quietly wound down over the past few years.
Staff have been re-deployed and those who have left haven’t been replaced.
