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To: HM Government, HMRC and DWP

Civil Service Cuts Stoke

We call on the Government to halt the cuts to Civil Service jobs in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire and invest in Central Government services within the region.

Key Campaign Demands:

• Increased investment in Central Government jobs and services within the North Staffordshire region.

• Reverse the decision to close HMRC Blackburn House

• Replacement of all Civil Service posts lost in Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 across DWP/HMRC.

• Conversion to Permanent posts of all Fixed-Term-Contracts in DWP/HMRC.

• Protection of services to vulnerable groups through locally delivered DWP and HMRC provision.

Why is this important?

Chancellor George Osborne is committed to cutting a further 100,000 Civil Service jobs by 2020 and shrinking the entire Government Estate by 75% before 2023.
Government services that the public rely on are being decimated as a result of job cuts. Examples from the Passport Office, HMCTS, Land Registry, HMRC, DWP and elsewhere show that cuts in the Civil Service are having a negative impact on service users. Communities are being cut-off from local services. The Civil Service is near to breaking point, the digital technology replacing local services untested and unstable making the planned cuts unsustainable.
In Stoke-on-Trent the HMRC have announced that Blackburn House tax office will close by or before 2020 with the loss of between 250-300 jobs to the local economy. Locally DWP has lost around a third of its workforce in the area since 2010 to the detriment of service delivery and the welfare of its remaining workforce.
The impact of the loss of this significant number of jobs to the local economy and labour market cannot be underestimated. There is no clear evidence that growth in private sector jobs within the area will replace these jobs.
We call on the Government to halt the cuts to Civil Service jobs in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire and invest in Central Government services within the region.

Updates

2016-07-30 15:52:15 +0100

We revealed in May that 550 jobs had already been cut in Central government services in Stoke in the past 6-years with another 256 to be cut. Read our local Press coverage here: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/550-government-jobs-axed/story-29308844-detail/story.html

Local staff have continued to leave services and the situation has now worsened. But the pressure to deliver the reform agenda is increasing. Morale has since plummeted. Stoke is not alone in this respect. But its social deprivation and lack of investment should be a concern to Government officials. Make sure you pass on our campaign to defend jobs and services within HMRC and DWP in Stoke.

2016-07-30 15:41:51 +0100

Workplaces in DWP are reporting huge staffing difficulties. Virtualisation of Services and Poor IT are preventing delivery of a quality customer service. Local services in Stoke are amongst those affected. Despite unemployment statistics and rhetoric from the Government on the record numbers of people in employment - Stoke has not seen the investment it needs to compete in a global market post Brexit. It would be foolish to withdraw much needed public service jobs and their services from the area at a time of Economic uncertainty. We call on HMRC to reverse their closure programme and for DWP to fully staff its services and build a better future for all in stoke-on-trent.

Follow us on Twitter: @pcs_nstaffs and @keepcsjobsStoke

2016-07-30 15:34:39 +0100

Details of outrageous plans to slash civil service redundancy pay by more than 25% are shown in correspondence between Cabinet Office and civil service trade unions published by PCS see: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/pcs_comment/pcs_comment.cfm/letters-detailing-outrageous-plans-to-slash-redundancy-pay-published

It is quite clear that the Government is attempting to reduce the size of the Civil Service in both HMRC and DWP. Sadly it intends to do it on the cheap, by tearing up still further Terms and conditions of employment.

2016-05-08 11:47:24 +0100

Press Release on Central Government job cuts in Stoke on Trent and North Staffordshire to come within the next few weeks.

2016-04-04 16:36:34 +0100

Support has been received from North Staffs Trades Union Council. Great News that they have pledged support to our campaign to @keepCSjobsStoke

2016-03-31 08:41:07 +0100

See our Twitter Feed at: @keepCSjobsStoke
Follow us for all the latest news.

2016-03-31 08:39:33 +0100

Hundreds of signatures on our Hard-copy petitions. To get a collection sheet contact us on: [email protected]

2016-03-31 08:37:14 +0100

Local MPs Tristram Hunt and Ruth Smeeth backing the campaign to Save Civil Service jobs in Stoke.

2016-03-14 22:52:46 +0000

100 signatures reached

2016-03-09 05:32:03 +0000

Hard-copy petitions available from PCS North Staffordshire union representatives. Help us collect and support the campaign today.

2016-03-08 07:39:30 +0000

50 signatures reached

2016-03-07 21:52:46 +0000

25 signatures reached

2016-03-07 18:54:33 +0000

10 signatures reached