Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that local businesses remain tax compliant after Ipswich compliance staff have been moved to Stratford.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is transforming into a tax authority fit for the future. It will be located in every region and country of the UK in 13 regional centres, five specialist sites, a head office in London and eight transitional sites.

HMRC has announced its clear intention to retain Haven House, Ipswich, as one of these transitional sites until 2027-28. From 2028, it will remain open as a long-term specialist site for HMRC’s Risk and Intelligence Service. Workforce plans continue to evolve but HMRC will retain a significant presence in Ipswich.

Moving to regional centres will save around £300 million up to 2025. The Programme will deliver annual cash savings of £74 million in 2025-26, rising to around £90 million from 2028.

HMRC recognises the importance of continuity of services to the taxpayer as it moves to the regional centre model. It is minimising disruption by spreading the changes over a number of years. Moves will be phased, avoiding business peaks, and supported with carefully considered migration paths for staff.

Regional centres underpin HMRC’s wider transformation plans. Co-locating teams in large, modern offices will allow it to manage its workforce more flexibly making it easier to share resources and work collaboratively. Compliance teams will be able to work together to tackle fraud and evasion irrespective of where it occurs. Mobile compliance taskforces operate throughout the UK, visiting customers wherever they are located.

HMRC’s People Equality Impact Assessment, published in June, explains the support HMRC has put in place to minimise the potential impacts of its location strategy on staff, including those with protected characteristics, and makes it clear which risks it needs to monitor most closely.