HM Revenue and Customs announces 3400 job losses
In a move which will give the opposition parties food for thought it has been announced that HM Revenue and Customs are set to close 93 offices across the UK with a loss of 3400 jobs at a time when the government has suggested it would be increasing investment in public services. This move seems to fly in the face of public announcements from Gordon Brown and puts at risk significant jobs in the public sector.
The plans to cut staff and cut the number of offices around the UK is based solely upon the cost of the service and is sure to have some impact on efficiency and cost savings in the future. The announcement has attracted cries of hypocrisy as the government has suggested that public service investment would be increased in the short to medium term to pick up some of the slack in the UK economy.
In reality, the closure of these offices is the first of many potential cost saving exercises as the UK government attempts to cut down on ongoing expenditure. Quite where this leaves local services in the UK remains to be seen but many public sector workers are already fearing the worst.
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