Jobcentre closures: Jobs at risk as Shropshire branches axed by Government

Union officials said more than one in 10 jobcentres in England, Wales and Scotland will shut, putting thousands of staff jobs at risk.

Branches in Madeley and Wellington are to be offloaded, leaving customers heading into the town centre to use the service.

Unemployed people who currently use the branches in New Street in Wellington and Church Street in Madeley will forced to travel further.

There is a jobcentre in Southwater Way in the town centre which will be retained, as will back office operations at nearby New Town House.

Other county branches, including two in Shrewsbury and others in Market Drayton, Bridgnorth, Oswestry and Whitchurch are to be retained under the plans.

But the axe has also swung in Mid Wales, with plans to "co-locate" branches in Newtown and Llandrindod Wells.

Branches in Welshpool and another in Newtown will be retained.

This afternoon Telford & Wrekin Councillor Paul Watling, who represents the Madeley and Sutton Hill ward, said he was disappointed at the news.

He said: "I'm most disappointed that people will have to travel further to get to a Jobcentre.

"There's an expectation that everyone will have access to the internet, but that's not always the case."

Wellington town councillor Anthony Lowe said: "I think that's disgraceful.

"It is an essential resource. It needs to be available as close as possible for people who use the service. I'm dead against it."

Chris Davies, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, spoke in favour of the plans.

He said: "I fully support these proposals which are part of a Goverment continued drive to deliver public services in more innovative and cost effective ways.

"That's why I am particularly pleased that many services in Llandrindod Wells and Ystradgynlais will all be under one roof, which will make accessing services much easier to service users."

The Department for Work and Pensions said it expected affected employees to move to other sites, adding that any redundancies would be "very small".

The DWP said four out of five claims for Jobseeker's Allowance and 99% of applicants for Universal Credit submit claims online.

The department also pointed out that 2.7 million more people are in work since 2010 following falls in unemployment.

Jobcentres and benefit centres are covered by old building contracts which are coming up for renewal.

The proposals include merging 78 smaller Jobcentre Plus offices in urban areas with larger ones nearby, co-locating around 50 offices with local authorities or other community services and closing 27 back office buildings.

More than 70 existing offices will be retained.

Employment Minister Damian Hinds said: "We will always make sure that people have the support they need to get into and progress within work, that's why we are recruiting 2,500 more work coaches to help those who need it most.

"The way the world works has changed rapidly in the last 20 years and the welfare state needs to keep pace. As more people access their benefits through the internet, many of our buildings are under-used. We are concentrating our resources on what we know best helps people into work.

"The changes we've announced today will help ensure that the way we deliver our services reflect the reality of today's welfare system."

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said thousands of jobs will be put at risk, and unemployed people will have to travel further for help in finding work.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "Jobcentres provide a lifeline for unemployed people, and forcing them to travel further is not only unfair, it undermines support to get them back to work.

"We are opposed to these closures and will vigorously fight any attempt to force DWP workers out of their jobs."