Petition to stop closure of HMRC office in Walsall

The PCS union held a rally in the Town Centre to draw attention to the closure of the HMRC Office in Walsall.  On Saturday 5 March 2016 despite the cold members of the PCS union were joined by the GMB union as members of the public waited to sign the petition.

In November 2015 the Government announced the closure of Walsall HMRC offices alongside 140 other HMRC offices in the country. The Government announced this without any public or parliamentary consultation or scrutiny. In my view, in order for a tax system to be supported and have credibility with the public, it needs to have local presence.

Research has shown that for every 50 jobs taken away from a town or city, the economic impact on that place can amount to as much as £1.5 million lost. There are over 60 staff at Walsall and of the 40 PCS members, 37 are women. Many of these people will  have to give up their jobs as they said they find it impossible to carry out their caring responsibilities with the travelling to Birmingham.

There were over 500 signatures opposing the closure of Walsall HMRC offices and  I will present the petition in Parliament.