KEEP JOBS IN KIRKLEES SAYS LIB DEM LEADER

1.59.00pm GMT Wed 14th Mar 2007

Councillor Kath Pinnock is writing to the Right Honourable Hilary Armstrong, MP, to ask her to reconsider her decision to move work out of Halifax, Huddersfield, Keighley and Skipton and centralise it in Bradford.

Councillor Pinnock went on to say “I want the Council to write to each of the 5 local Labour Members of Parliament asking them to support the employees at HM Revenue and Customs by writing to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking her to reconsider her decision and keep jobs in Kirklees. I’m shocked that they seem to be allowing a Labour minister to take these jobs away from Kirklees. Local people must get in touch with their MP and ask them if they are backing these plans.”

"We are worried that this will lead to job losses in Kirklees" says Councillor Kath Pinnock. "There will be a loss of income to the district which will impact on the local economy. If people have to travel to Bradford to work this will only increase the congestion on our roads and put an added strain on an already over stretched public transport system."

Councillor Pinnock went on to say "I want the Council to write to each of the 5 local Labour Members of Parliament asking them to support the employees at HM Revenue and Customs by writing to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking her to reconsider her decision and keep jobs in Kirklees. I'm shocked that they seem to be allowing a Labour minister to take these jobs away from Kirklees. Local people must get in touch with their MP and ask them if they are backing these plans."

"The centralization of work, and potential loss of highly skilled and trained tax employees will result in a worsening of the services provided to customers" says Councillor Pinnock. "There have been reports across the country of huge piles of unanswered post, vast sums of money spent on external consultants that have resulted in inefficient new work practices and not the improvements as promised. Closing down tax offices just does not seem to be the answer."