Three South Devon MPs have written to Government ministers urging them to reconsider plans to close the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) office at Cotswold House in Torquay, warning the move could result in the loss of around 130 jobs.
Steve Darling, MP for Torbay, Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, and Martin Wrigley, MP for Newton Abbot, have jointly written to the Minister for Transformation at the DWP, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, expressing concerns about the proposed closure.
The MPs argue that Torbay is the only location affected by the DWP’s office closure programme where staff have not been offered relocation opportunities. They also question the department’s reported policy of requiring offices to have a minimum of 300 staff, saying it disadvantages rural and coastal communities.
According to the MPs, Steve Darling recently met with staff at Cotswold House, where he was told the office provides specialist services, including support for some of the DWP’s most vulnerable customers who do not have access to banking facilities.
The three MPs have invited ministers to visit Cotswold House to meet staff and consider alternative accommodation options, including relocating services to the nearby Torquay Jobcentre.
Steve Darling MP said: “The DWP’s own values are ‘we care’ and ‘we value everyone,’ yet these have clearly not been applied to the staff at Cotswold House. It was devastating to hear from one member of staff who was in tears tell me how they ‘love this job’ and ask me why they can’t do it. This is the very question I am asking the Government.
“The Government must be more flexible with relocating the affected staff. I know that there is a whole floor of office space available at the nearby Torquay JobCentre, and hybrid working could save many of these jobs. We are genuinely appalled that the DWP is not considering relocating these staff members.”
Caroline Voaden MP described the proposal as difficult to reconcile with the Government’s stated aim of reducing unemployment, adding that she hoped ministers would reconsider the decision.
Martin Wrigley MP said the closure would affect around 130 experienced employees and urged the Government to explore alternatives that would allow staff to continue working in the area.
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