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Anger as Revenue and Customs announce closure of Scottish rural and isolated offices

13 January 2010

Leaders of the Civil and Public Services union (PCS) predicted a backlash following the announcement today that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) offices across Scotland will close their doors for the last time, leaving 188 staff facing the stark choice of having to travel hundreds of miles further every week to retain a job, or accept redundancy.

The CBI estimate that if everybody in the UK paid their due in tax, the basic rate could would be 5p lower on every pound. PCS point out that without HMRC offices in local communities, this tax gap will grow.

The closure of HMRC offices is a cost-cutting exercise that PCS has slammed as idiotic. Hamish Drummond, PCS branch secretary covering the threatened Perth office said “Local HMRC offices, like that in Perth, play a vital part in ensuring everybody pays their way – if you remove the local presence, dodgy dealers get cockier, and pay even less tax, costing those of us who do pay our way even more.”

PCS is on the verge of balloting 300,000 members on industrial action over proposed changes to the agreement on redundancy compensation for civil servants, and, now with HMRC staff facing relocation or redundancy in rural offices, PCS HMRC Executive member John Davidson warned that there is massive unrest within the Scottish workforce.

“The Government has thrown money at collapsing banks with abandon, and is now closing offices across Scotland to pay for it. PCS members, with support from across the public sector, do not accept this and we will fight tooth and nail to defend public services in Scotland and across the UK.”
 

Mr Davidson summed up the PCS message to HMRC and the Government as follows: “We call upon ministers to announce a moratorium on any HMRC cuts, and to demand that before the door closes on any office in Scotland or across the UK, HMRC demonstrate their claimed efficiency savings against the collection of outstanding taxes into the Treasury.”

The Scottish offices that HMRC has today announced its intent to close are as follows.

The number beside each office is the figure provided by HMRC for the staffing complement within the Office, and PCS have been unable to confirm these numbers as up to date.

Town/City Office Number
of Staff 
Ayr Russell House 38
Buckie Moray House 15
Dumbarton 15 Meadowbank Street 3
Dumfries Government Buildings 21
Dunfermline Merchiston House 14
Dunoon Auchencraig 6
Elgin Phoenix House 1
Galashiels New Reiver House 15
Greenock 99 Dalrymple Street 14
Greenock Custom House 19
Hamilton Barrack Street 6
Hawick Crown Building 5
Oban Mathieson House 1
Perth 1-3 Water Vennel 13
Peterhead Keith House 9
Rothesay 9 King Street 8

Total		  
188

 

 

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