Closure blow for Inverness tax office workers
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Tax office workers in Inverness have been told that the office will close in 2017 as part of a government project designed to save hundreds of millions of pounds.
Up to 64 workers are believed to potentially be affected by HMRC's decision to shut the River House facility along with 17 of its 18 offices in Scotland
More than 2,000 jobs could be lost in Scotland.
The organisation said “most” of its workforce will move into two regional centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Lin Homer, HMRC’s chief executive, said: “Where offices are a long way from a regional centre and it is not possible for employees to move to work in one, HMRC will do everything it reasonably can to help them to find new roles, either elsewhere in the civil service, or outside, in order to minimise redundancies.”
Jamie Stone, Liberal Democrat councillor for Tain and Easter Ross, who is standing on in the 2016 Scottish Parliamentary elections, said the closure should be resisted "tooth and nail".
He said: "I think this stinks to high heaven. It's difficult enough for people to get from north west Sutherland or Caithness to Inverness but to take out the Inverness office is blatant discrimination against people who live in the remote areas and it should be resisted tooth and nail. I hope the matter will be raised as a matter of urgency in Holyrood and Westminster."
Scottish National Party MP Drew Hendry said it was “unacceptable” that staff should lose their jobs because of their location. He pledged to "step up work with MSP Fergus Ewing to press the UK government to rethink the plans".
He said: “It is a devastating blow given that the scale of the job losses are far worse than anyone was prepared for. It is unacceptable that these staff should lose their jobs because of their location especially when their skills are so obviously needed in other areas of the organisation
"The level of job losses in our area is distressing and shows a complete lack of understanding and commitment to supporting people in the Highlands & Islands.”
Fergus Ewing MSP said: “It is deeply concerning that HMRC management are making this announcement at a time when the pressure upon their office has never been greater.”
Inverness South Liberal Democrat councillor Carolyn Caddick, who is standing on the regional list for 2016 Scottish Parliament, said it was another distressing sign of centralisation.
She said: “I have been horrified at the centralisation of the police and fire service. The Highland are going to be less well-served and marginalised as a result of this decision.”
The Public and Commercial Services union is calling for the decision to be reviewed by MPs.
The union says the plans, being announced while parliament is in recess, “pose a significant threat to the operation of HMRC, its service to the public and the working lives of staff”.
The threat is so severe, the union believes, that as well as entering into genuine negotiations, it says HMRC must launch a high profile public consultation and allow its proposals to be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny.
An HMRC spokeswoman said: “The new regional centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh will bring our staff together in more modern and cost-effective buildings in areas with lower rents.
"They will also make a big contribution to the Scottish economy, providing high-quality, skilled jobs and supporting the Government’s commitment to a national recovery that benefits all parts of the UK.
"The changes will enable HMRC to give customers the modern services they now expect at a lower cost to the taxpayer, meeting the Government’s challenge for all departments to do more with less.”
