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Bradley welcomes job retention

Thursday, 2 February 2012

FORTY people at a tax office in Newry have retained their jobs for at least another three years, the Ulster Gazette can confirm.
This news has been welcomed by SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh, Dominic Bradley, who learned that the tax office staff based in Carnbane in Newry will retain their jobs until a further review in 2015.
Welcoming the news, the Assemblyman said:
“In September last year, I was approached by some staff members employed by HMRC in Newry, concerned that their future was in the balance when announcements were made on future locations but the Newry Office was not included.
“Naturally this caused some degree of anger, as staff were told their future would not be made known in January 2012."
Mr Bradley felt that this was unacceptable, given that HM Revenue and Customs had confirmed the closure of their office, based on Merchants Quay, which houses the Public Tax Enquiry Centre.
“I consulted with Margaret Ritchie MP and we believed that a proactive approach was required.
“We requested a meeting with Treasury Minister David Gaulke.
“At that meeting in London we put forward, not only arguments for the retention of the existing jobs in Newry, but reasons why we felt that the number of staff located in Newry should actually be increased.
“Newry is the location for processing of Construction Industry Returns, but we felt that it should also be the registration centre, and that, in order to provide improved customer service and accountability, a telephone call centre should also be located at the Newry site.
“We felt that this would create a one-stop-shop for all those people in the construction industry, something which both the Treasury and HMRC are keen on."
Mr Bradley added:
“We believe that we put forward a sound business case, cost-effective and consistent with public accounting policies, proposals which would develop specialist knowledge, save on costs whilst providing an improved service to people working in construction.
“We felt that our representations were well received.
“HM Revenue and Customs have previously advised that, by 2020, they only envisage a presence in Northern Ireland in Belfast.
“Both myself, Mrs Ritchie and other SDLP representatives will continue to lobby for Newry to be retained as a strategic location within the proposals for 2020.
“Newry is a regional economic hub within the regional development strategy."
Mr Bradley continued: "We have seen public sector jobs haemorrhage out of Newry over the last decade.
“This is a trend that has to stop and the retention of the tax office jobs will herald, not only the start of that process, but will also raise the profile of Newry as much more than a retail centre.
“We need a diverse economic base - that means fighting to protect the public sector jobs we have and fighting for more public sector jobs.
“I trust that our representations will bear fruit.
“But both Margaret and I, and indeed all our councillors and MLAs, can assure staff of our continued commitment to the retention of local jobs."

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