Vincent Cable

Liberal Democrats | Twickenham

‘Devastating’ Cuts in Staff at local Benefit Office

100 jobs are to go at the local Department for Work and Pensions office over the next few months with potentially very serious problems for benefits and national insurance processing and child support arrangements.  The local office is based in Hounslow where many local residents have had to travel to resolve benefit problems; but that work will be switched elsewhere removing all personal contact and making residents dependent on erratic telephone services.  The trades union (PCS) is also seriously worried about job losses in Hounslow and Twickenham.

Vincent Cable MP said: “Both I and the local Citizens Advice Bureau encounter numerous cases of people whoa re exasperated dealing with the DWP: delays, errors, lost papers.  It now appears that we shall lose a lot of local staff too: benefit processing will be carried out over the phone from Wigan; national insurance number interviews will move to Fulham; and Child Support Agency work will disappear.  This is very worrying both for staff and customers.”