42 Shrewsbury CSA workers to lose jobs in closure
Friday 10th September 2010, 11:29AM BST.
More than 40 workers are to lose their jobs in Shrewsbury following today’s announcement that the Child Support Agency office will be closed down.
The agency says there will be little effect on the public with the closure of the office at New Mayfield House, in the Oxon Business Park, but 42 jobs are being axed.
A spokesman for the Child Support Agency said: “The Shrewsbury office processes new CSA cases, which have sharply reduced since 2008 with the removal of compulsion on single parents on income-related benefits to use the agency.
“There will therefore be no discernible effect on the public, though the agency deeply regrets the impact on its loyal staff.
“The 42 CSA employees on site have been informed and formal consultation on voluntary redundancies has begun.”
In January of this year, HM Revenue & Customs announced it intended to close its operation at New Mayfield House in Shrewsbury by March 31, next year.
Ms Simmons said that as the Child Support Agency has a small presence in the building it was felt, as the single occupier, it would no longer be cost effective and the decision was made to close the CSA office.
Jennie Kendall, spokeswoman for HM Revenue & Customs, said: “The decision to vacate New Mayfield House was announced in July 2008 as part of a UK-wide estates review, which included extensive consultation.
She said reductions in staff across HMRC have so far been achieved without compulsory redundancies and that this remains HMRC’s aim.
“Enquiry centre services will remain in the locality to maintain face-to-face advice to those HMRC customers who need it,” she added.
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I would have thought there would have been a huge effect on the public and great sighs of relief. The CSA has been nothing but a disaster since it’s inception. It has driven men to suicide and the end of the Shrewsbury office can only be hailed as a very good start to the final end of this totally disreputable quango.
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great news, at last the CSA get something right
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1. It’s not a quango – you clearly don’t know what a quanqo is.
2. I doubt if the sort of people who seem to rejoice every time a public sector worker loses his/her job are also the sort of people who think we should allow people who father children and disappear leaving the rest of us to pick up the tab.
We need someone to chase errant parents to pay for their progeny – though the CSA had many faults particularly in its early days, these won’t have been the fault of the ordinary staff – they’re far more likely to be the result of poor policy decisions.
I’ll assume that both ‘Warrington North’ and ‘Jacko’ are perfectly happy to allow people to breed and have the rest of us pay for it…
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Peter,
1. Officially the CSA is not a quango as it is a Governmental organisation but as far as the wider public view is concerned it is. It shouldn’t be necessary to highlight this to anyone other than the ill educated or pedants.
2. I do not relish the thought of any worker, public sector or otherwise losing their job and I am sure that the misery caused by members of the CSA was just as a matter of “just doing my job”. But we’ve heard that phrase used somewhere before!
You know nothing of my background, my education or my personal circumstances and yet you leap to judge me, presuming certain aspects of my character from a single paragraph. A paragraph in which I mentioned nothing of my views of errant parents. Norman is somewhat nearer the mark regarding those views but that isn’t the issue of the article. The remark is particularly rich considering the number of years the CSA spent pursuing soft targets and avoiding the harder to locate ‘errant parent’. This phase of the CSA’s history caused many suicides amongst fathers as well as further relationship failures. Not a record to be proud of at all, then or now.
Peter, I do hope that you are not and never were anything to do with the CSA. It is exactly that attitude that exemplifies all that is rotten about the CSA and not just policy dictates.
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To those losing their jobs there is a positive. At least now you’ll be able to tell people what you do for a living.
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Finally proof there is a god !
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Peter, I can only assume from the tone of your letter that you have no experience of the workings of the CSA. Far from tracing absent parents, all they did was hammer the ones they already new about, thus saving the expense involved in actually tracing the missing.
They were a disaster from the start and still are. My son was targeted by these “little Hitlers” who demanded over 90 pounds per week for 1 child. As he was only earning 120 pounds per week, he did the only thing available, resigned from his job and signed on the dole. Police officers have also been the victims of these people, extortionate demands forcing them into debt, which, as we know is not allowed in the force.
Had they done what they were set up to do, trace runaway parents, things may have been different but they took the easy option driving many to suicide so I for one soundly applaud the shut down and look forward to many more such closures in the near future, let these arrogant “telephone storm troopers” go out and get a real job, if they are capable of course.
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Colin,
I have two children, both of whom are fully funded by myself and my wife. In the event that we ever separated or divorced, we would continue to pay our way.
I just happen to think that it’s a good idea to have an agency that makes sure that people pay their way too. Since you’re all so pleased that the CSA is to reduce in size, can I ask what you see as its replacement? It’s very easy to complain about what’s there, but it was better than the nothing we appear to have now!
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oh yes you would continue to pay your way if you separated as no doubt you will give her the house and a certain amount towards the children! this could carry on amicably for a few years then you both meet different partners and remarry and you have more children then bang you have to pay slightly less to your ex and she doesnt like it so gets csa involved , then you and your 2nd family life is over you will be fleeced of everything andput on the poverty pile along with all other 2nd families. so dont be cocky and preach until you have stood in our shoes
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a last a step in the right direction lets is how they like there lives ruined under the so called law . take there money and the homes aswell
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Peter, who are we to judge whether Warrington North and Jacko are happy to let people breed and allow the rest of us to pay?
For all you and I know one or both may have strong views even revolutionary methods of restricting the type of people you deplore in society.
All they are talking about is an agency that seems to have been doomed to fail as soon as it was conceived.
Not wishing to prejudge people, are you the bloke that goes into the betting shop on Grand National day and looks to see what has the longest odds and puts £100 on the 28,000-1 nag?
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I Think we should spare a thought for those employee’s who have lost their jobs with the closure!
Whatever your dealings with the CSA were, it is unlikely it was the individuals that have lost their jobs that handled the case.
I am sure at this time, they are in financial uncertainty for the future and most probably have their own families they need to support. Regardless of whether you agree with the CSA processes or not, the employee’s were only doing what was asked of them to earn a living!
Personally I have many friends who have been grateful for the help of the csa in obtaining support for their children.
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Peter.
I am not against the idea of such an agency, what I am very strongly opposed to is the way the operate. They make no effort to trace absent parents, never have done, and I am sure that this was their policy from day one decreed by those on high. You say if you and your wife were to part you would pay your way. Well, if your wife stayed at home to look after the children then too damn right you would pay. As soon as your wife started claiming benefits the C(ash) S(natching) A(gency) would descend on you like the proverbial ton of bricks and you could think yourself lucky if you could afford to have a pint at the weekend. Maybe your children are too old to need looking after but many are not and that’s when these people pounce.
As the majority of our personal details are now fully computerised it is a simple task to trace absent parents through income tax payments, graduated pensions etc. and get an attachment of earnings order through the courts. Those not working would be claiming some sort of benefit so they would be quite visible on the computer trail. What is wrong now is that the CSA demands such a high payment to compensate for the lack of revenue from the parents they can’t be bothered with. A fair level of support is what is needed not the obscene amount these vultures demand now.
So, yes I am very happy to see what I hope is the start of the collapse of this inept, unfair organisation, the sooner the better.
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COLIN, How can the CSA say to your son pay £90 for your child when the pensioners get only £98 plus a small amount of pension credit if they can get it. No I’m in agreement with you as the CSA only seemed to go after the easy touch people to get as much money in as possible with no account taken of their income or outgoings. This looked good in the end of year accounts.PETER. you will no doubt know the answer to this QUESTION”"”" If you are married with one child and your wife runs off with another person, and the court usually gives the custody of the child to the woman and she denies the husband access rights why should he be forced to pay for the child, when, If It was the other way around the wife pays nothing. As a pensioner I have to admit that on paper it seemed a good thing but in reality it turned out to be a complete and utter disaster.
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i do so hope that ALL csa/cmec offices will close they are an absolute disgrace and the governments worst ever run agency. it should go back to the courts, they can dish out the same punishments for non payments and they will be fairer and take into account both parents incomes not just the non resident one. there will always be some absent parents that “get away with it” but they will mainly be the ones that fathered a child in a one night stand with a little tart who forgot to ask for his name never mind address NI number etc
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Mrs. B.
I do have a thought for those who lost their jobs, GOOD, welcome to the real world. Having heard a genuine recorded telephone conversation involving one of these people I have no sympathy whatsoever. The woman was arrogant, overbearing and downright rude. Let’s hope she gets some of the same when she signs on.
John Jones.
You may well ask where they got their figures from. Over 90 pounds for one child???? when I went off sick with a broken foot I received the princely sum of 47 pounds per week. From this I was expected to pay 26 pounds rent, and feed and clothe my wife and 4 children, all at school. How I wish the CSA had handled my claim, I could have retired in the 8 weeks I was off work.
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What comes around goes around. You treat decent, honest people like scum and expect them to be sympathetic. Hope they sack all CSA workers and close the shambolic system down.
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