JULIA WELCOMES TAX OFFICE REPRIEVE IN REDRUTH

5.00.00pm GMT Thu 4th Dec 2008

Julia with PCS union rep Helen Thomas and Redruth mayor Barbara Ellenbroek outside the tax office

Julia was celebrating last night after it was announced that a long-running campaign to save jobs at Redruth Tax Office was successful. More than 50 high quality jobs will be saved in the town thanks to a strong campaign led by Julia and PCS union rep Helen Thomas.

It means that there will be no job losses in Redruth, and the office will become part of a permanent base for HMRC operations in Cornwall.

Yet despite the good news in Redruth, jobs were lost elsewhere in Cornwall under Government plans to cut the county's Revenue and Customs offices. Tax offices in Penzance and Launceston will close, and many of the jobs are being transferred to larger centres in Plymouth, Exeter and Bristol.

Commenting, Falmouth and Camborne MP Julia Goldsworthy said:

"For towns like Redruth, high quality jobs - like those at the Tax Office - not only provide an important service, but also play a vital role in supporting the economy of the town centre. But I am baffled that the government can recognise this in the case of Redruth and Truro, but then still press ahead with relocations and closures in Penzance and Launceston."

The tax office at Piran House is a significant employer in the town centre. It provides an important debt management section for the many people who find themselves in need of assistance with their tax returns.

Over the course of the HMRC consultation, there were fears that up to 50 jobs locally would be lost, and the debt management section would be moved altogether. It sparked a major campaign in Redruth to save the jobs, which included a petition signed by hundreds of local people that Julia presented to Ministers.

Julia paid tribute to the hard work of local campaigners in across Cornwall who fought against job losses at Tax Offices in the county.

She said: "Campaigners made a compelling case to prevent these cuts. They realised how important these jobs are to the local community, and appreciated the high standard of work that gets done by staff in Cornwall.

"These important factors seem to have been largely ignored by the government. Gordon Brown's warm words about supporting the British economy will be cold comfort for those learning they will be losing their job today."