Council leader to discuss future HMRC Telford office plans with minister
Telford & Wrekin Council leader Kuldip Sahota today leads a delegation to London for key discussions about Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) service’s future plans for use of offices in the borough.
Councillor Sahota is to meet with David Gauke MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, to discuss and understand the Government’s current thinking regarding HMRC’s presence in Telford.
“Telford is a key strategic location as a centre for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs activities and the Council has a strategic role in maintaining and improving the local economy,” said Councillor Sahota.
“The meeting will cover what the plans regarding HMRC presence in the town are.
“But we will also use it to highlight the opportunities that the borough presents as a location when Government could co-locate other civil service or public funded private sector work.”
The HMRC has already said that Telford is one of 16 key locations where it will maintain a presence until at least 2020, although not necessarily in all of the offices currently occupied although final decisions have yet to be made.
By 2015, HMRC will be operating with 10,000 fewer full time equivalent posts nationwide than in April 2011 as it achieves substantial savings efficiencies.
“We as a council are under considerable pressure to reduce our costs too so fully understand the service planning considerations that government departments and agencies will be going through,” added Councillor Sahota.
“However, a prime consideration for the council in determining our business strategy has been to seek to minimise the level of compulsory redundancies and protect jobs wherever possible.
“I hope that the government will take a joined up and strategic view of the changes that are planned so major negative economic impacts in local communities can be minimised.”
