Temporary Jobcentres: Decommissioning Debate
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Mims Davies
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Temporary Jobcentres: Decommissioning
Mims Davies Excerpts(1 year ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mims Davies)
Jobcentres provide an important and necessary presence for those looking to, or wanting to, progress in work. This Department continues its commitment to provide local personalised support for customers and families, and remains committed to striking the right balance between providing these essential services and delivering value for money for the taxpayer. Site Address Banbury Unit 9a, Castle Quay Shopping Centre, Castle Quay, Banbury OX16 5UH Barking Maritime House, 1 Linton Road, Barking IG11 8HG Cannock 4-5 The Forum, Market Hall Street, Cannock WS11 1EB Crawley (Gatwick) Beehive Ring Road, Gatwick Airport, Gatwick RH6 0LG Dewsbury Unit 25, Princess of Wales Precinct, Dewsbury WF13 1NH Harrow Spencer House, 29 Grove Hill Road, Harrow HA1 3BN Hastings Unit MS2, Priory Meadow, Hastings TN34 1PH High Wycombe 31 High Street, High Wycombe HP11 2AG Liverpool (Bootle) Unit 127-130, The Palatine Strand Shopping Centre, Bootle L20 4SU London (Edmonton) 13-16 North Square, Edmonton Green Shopping Centre, Edmonton, N9 0HW London (Hackney) 2 Hillman Street, Hackney E8 1FB London (Waltham Forest) 1 and 2 Kestrel House, Trinity Business Park, Trinity Way, Chingford, E4 8TD London (Wandsworth) Unit 7b – 8b Putney Exchange, Putney High Street, London SW15 1TW Newcastle The Spire, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 2DS Nottingham Castle Court, 59 Castle Boulevard, Nottingham NG7 1FD Plymouth Unit 1, Bretonside Shopping Centre, Charles Cross, Plymouth PL4 OBA Romford Unit 1, Davidson Way, Romford RM7 0AZ Rotherham Unit 3a and 3b Phoenix Riverside, Rotherham S60 1FL Torquay 122-126 Union Street, Torquay TQ2 5QB
As part of its transformational programme, the Department is also committed to improving its estate to provide a better environment for colleagues and customers, which will improve the opportunities, services and environments of many of the jobcentres we are retaining and enhancing.
In the written statement of 8 February 2023, the Department announced the decommissioning of 20 temporary jobcentres (phase 1). These temporary jobcentres —or the expansion of space in established jobcentres—were put in place in direct response to the anticipated pressures on the labour market during the pandemic. The Department secured time-limited funding to rapidly introduce this additional space to deliver a temporary expansion to the existing network of 639 established jobcentre sites and provide more work coaches to support claimants. The temporary expansion of the jobcentre estate enabled us to drive forward our Plan for Jobs, helping people back into the labour market right across the UK.
In that written statement, the Department reaffirmed its commitment to reducing its jobcentre estate back to pre-pandemic levels by decommissioning temporary jobcentres—or the additional space in established jobcentres—in a phased approach, where the increased capacity is no longer needed. Several of the temporary sites, where they offer better, more suitable accommodation than our existing offices—and provide better value for money for the taxpayer—will be retained. Established jobcentres will move into these buildings.
The Department is now in a position to announce the second phase of decommissioning, which consists of the 19 sites listed below. The majority of these sites are expected to be decommissioned by the end of June 2023, with London Hackney slightly later. Subsequent phases will follow throughout 2023 and 2024, and we will keep Parliament updated.
Letters are being sent to each MP with changes in their constituency to explain what this means for their local jobcentre, its staff and their constituents. The decommissioning of these temporary jobcentres will not reduce our levels of service or access to face-to-face appointments. Customers will return to being served by their established jobcentre and there will be no reduction in the number of work coaches serving customers as a result of the decommissioning.
This Department remains committed to updating Parliament on our work to ensure that both our staff and customers are operating in buildings and environments fit for the future.
The 19 temporary jobcentres to be formally decommissioned are:
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