A Leeds city centre Jobcentre is going to close down for good, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced to MPs.
The Eastgate Jobcentre, near the Headrow, will close as part of nine other closures across the country. The DWP told MPs, the centres will merge into nearby DWP offices.
The newer site is in Park Place and is 0.9 miles from the existing Eastgate office. The other Jobcentres to shut are Gravesend The Grove, Leicester New Walk, Oldham Phoenix House, Walsall Bayard House, Dalston and Wolverhampton, reports The Mirror.
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The DWP said the Jobcentres shutting were “older and poorer”, adding: “This is not about reducing headcount or services offered, and we expect no jobs to be lost.”
It is part of a 10-year programme to “transition to an estate that is smaller, greener, and better”. The shake-up will also see the DWP “co-locate with key partners and in some cases, secure new premises.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “As part of our plans to improve our services and to help more people into employment, we are closing some poorer quality, older offices where there are better premises very close by that our services and staff can easily move to, so jobseekers receive our help in an upgraded, more modern environment.
“It’s expected affected colleagues will move to other nearby offices.”
Four years ago, scores of Jobcentres were closed after the DWP announced plans to shut 41 back offices across the country. The number of works coaches are also being reduced after they doubled during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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