The Conservative government announced that it was closing 150 Tax Offices, including the Wolverhampton office at Crown house, which employs over 500 staff. Employees will inevitably face redundancy, this office could be closed within the next two years.
The impact on Wolverhampton will be huge with the loss of £millions from the local economy.
PCS union members were joined by members of WB&DTUC executive committee to petition Wolverhampton on 28-05-17
On Friday 28 April 2017, the influential House of Commons ‘Public Accounts Committee’, published its latest report on HMRC’s ‘Building Our Future’ plans.http://www.pcs.org.uk/pcs-in-hm-revenue-and-customs-group/latest-news/parliament-slates-hmrc-office-closure-plan
- Committee says HMRC ‘yet to demonstrate realistic and affordable plan’
- Costs of programme rocket by 22% whilst projected savings cut by 50%
- 5,000 experienced staff to be forced out, when turnover ‘already too high’
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is the Government department that collects the nation’s taxes – our national income.
This is the income that funds every public service our society relies on, including funding:
our health service
our education system
our state pensions and benefits
our national defence
our police force and judicial services
our transport network
our fire brigades
our coastguards
our arts and culture.
and much more.
Whilst there is currently no public access to HMRC now, once it is taken out of Wolverhampton, the option of it being opened back up to the public is gone forever.
These jobs are of high quality with salaries are in excess of £25,000. The closure will mean job opportunities for young people are denied. ‘Pushing’ more people out of Wolverhampton.
Tax experts believe that when there is no local presence of a HMRC office, some businesses feel less inclined to pay all their taxes, others completely avoid paying them.
Every year, around £119billion in taxes is either evaded, avoided, or just not collected because there aren’t enough HMRC staff, even worse when there is no offices. This closure is not just bad for the staff that work at HMRC it is really bad news for all of Wolverhampton.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is running a campaign to defend its members employed in HMRC and they are seeking help from the public;
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
YOU COULD CONTACT THE NEW MAYOR OF THE WEST MIDLANDS, ANDY STREET AND ASK HIM TO STOP THE CLOSURE https://www.wmca.org.uk/contact or on 0121 200 2787
THINK HOW YOUR VOTE IN THE GENERAL ELECTION (all three Labour candidates in Wolverhampton want the HMRC to stay in Wolverhampton and keep the office open).
MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD MAKE SURE YOU VOTE
The list of HMRC offices to shut, and their proposed closure dates:
West Midlands
Wolverhampton (Crown House) 2019-20, Birmingham (City Centre House) 2019-20, Birmingham (Norfolk House) 2019-20, Brierley Hill (Bridge House) 2016-17, Brierley Hill (Merry Hill) will transfer to Department for Work and Pensions, Coventry (Sherbourne House) 2019-20, Northampton (Princess House) 2020-21, Northampton (Northgate House) 2016-17, Solihull (Sapphire East) 2019-20, Solihull (Royal House) 2019-20, Telford (Parkside Court) 2019-20, Walsall (Pattison House) 2016-17, Worcester (Council Buildings) 2019-20.
East Midlands
Derby (Northgate House) 2018-19, Leicester (Saxon House) 2020-21, Lincoln (Lawress Hall) 2020-21, Lincoln (Cromwell House) 2016-17, Chesterfield (Markham House) 2016-17, Nottingham (Castle Meadow) 2020-21 when the move will be made into a new regional centre in Nottingham – possibly at Castle Meadow.
Yorkshire and the Humber
Bradford (Centenary Court) 2020-21, Bradford (The Interchange) 2019-20, Grimsby (Imperial House) 2020-21, Harrogate (Victoria Avenue) 2016-17, Hull (Cherry Court) 2020-21, Leeds (Munroe Court) 2019-20, Leeds (Castle House) 2019-20, Leeds (Peter Bennett House) 2019-20, Leeds (Windsor House) 2020-21, Sheffield (Concept House) 2010-21, Shipley (Accounts Office) 2019-20, York (Swinson House) 2019-20.
North East of England
Middlesbrough (Russell Street) 2018-19, Middlesbrough (Eustace House) 2019-20, Peterlee (Emerald Court) 2020-21, Stockton-on-Tees (George Stephenson House) 2020-21, Sunderland (Waterside House) 2019-20, Washington (Waterview Park) 2024-25.
London, the South East and East of England
Bedford 2016-17, Brighton 2018-19, Cambridge 2018-19, Canterbury 2019-20, Chatham 2016-17, Chelmsford 2016-17, Colchester 2016-17, Crawley 2017-18, Felixstowe 2016-17, Gravesend 2019-20, Harwich 2017-18, Ipswich (Haven House) 2027-28, Ipswich (St Clare’s House) 2023-24, London (Berkeley House) 2016-17, London (Bush House) 2019-20, London (Capitol House) 2020-21, London (Custom House) 2019-20, London (Dorset House) 2019-20, London (Euston) 2020-21, London (Ealing International House) 2020-21, London (Riverside House) 2017-21, Luton 2020-21, Maidstone 2020-21, Milton Keynes 2016-17, Norwich 2016-17, Oxford 2017-18, Peterborough (Churchgate) 2020-21, Peterborough (Clifton House) 2017-18, Portsmouth (Lynx House) 2025-26, Portsmouth (Wingfield House) 2018-19, Reading 2024-25, Redhill 2018-19, Romford 2016-17, Southampton 2019-20, Southend 2019-20, Staines (Forum House) 2017-18, Staines (Heliting House) 2017-18, Surbiton 2017-18, Tilbury 2016-17, Uxbridge 2018-19, Watford 2020-21, Wembley 2020-21, Woking 2017-18.
North West of England
Warrington 2018-19, Carlisle 2017-18, Workington 2018, Bolton 2019-20, Manchester (four offices) 2019-20, Blackburn 2019-20, Blackpool transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions, Preston (three offices) 2020-21 and three to later transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions, Bootle (four offices) 2018-19 and 2019-20, Liverpool one office 2018-19 and two to later transfer to the Department for Work and Pensions, St Helens 2018-19.
South West of England
Avonmouth (Custom House) 2017-18, Bournemouth (Holland House) 2019-20, Bristol (101 Victoria Street) 2017-18, Bristol (Crescent Centre) 2017-18, Exeter (Longbrook House) 2020-21, Gloucester (Twyver House) 2017-18, Plymouth (The Apex) 2016-17, Plymouth (Westpoint) 2016-17, Redruth (Piran House) 2018-19, Swindon (Wiltshire Court) 2017-18, Taunton (Michael Paul House) 2016-17.
Northern Ireland
Newry (Custom House) June 2016, Coleraine (Fern House) 2016-17, Craigavon (Marlborough House) 2017-18, Enniskillen (Abbey House) 2017-18, Belfast (Beaufort House) 2017-18, Belfast (Carne House) 2017-18, Belfast (Custom House) 2017-18, Belfast (Dorchester House) 2017-18, Lisburn (Moira House) 2019-20, Londonderry (Foyle House) 2020-21.
Scotland
Aberdeen (Ruby House) 2020-21, Bathgate (Pyramids Business Centre) 2019-20, Cumbernauld (Accounts Office) 2019-20, Dundee (Sidlaw House) due to transfer to DWP, Dundee (Caledonian House) 2017-18, East Kilbride (Hawbank Stores), East Kilbride (Plaza Tower) 2020-21, East Kilbride (Queensway House) 2025-26, Edinburgh (Elgin House) 2019-20, Edinburgh (Grayfield House) 2019-20, Edinburgh (Meldrum House) 2019-20, Glasgow (Cotton House) 2019-20, Glasgow (Portcullis House) 2019-20, Inverness (River House) 2017-18, Livingston (Barbara Ritchie House) 2019-20, Irvine and Glenrothes offices are also both in the process of closing.
Wales
Wrexham, Swansea, Porthmadog and the present Cardiff base at Llanishen will close. An office in Merthyr is already due to shut in 2016.
Source: HMRC
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