JOBCENTRE bosses have been accused of breaking their promises after putting together proposals which could mean that Bordon will not get a jobcentre after all.

A three-pronged attack was launched by district and town councillors and Whitehill and BordonÕs CitizensÕ Advice Bureau who all savaged the proposals and instead pleaded with Jobcentre Plus to have a rethink and have jobcentres in both Bordon and Alton.

As reported by The Herald last week Jobcentre Plus, which was formed from the amalgamation of the Employment Service and parts of the Benefits Agency, has put forward proposals to create an integrated service in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight.

New Jobcentre Plus offices will open in 18 locations in the county and on the island, one of which will be in either Bordon or Alton.

This has caused great anger in both towns. Alton already has a Jobcentre and fears the consequences of losing the facility, while Bordon has been left in shock because previous plans to relocate LiphookÕs jobcentre to Bordon were approved by the Secretary of State for Employment last year.

But the expanded service is believed to be causing a headache with Alton JobcentreÕs premises in the High Street unable to expand to accomodate the extra services, and the proposed home in Chalet Hill for BordonÕs Jobcentre is also thought to be unsuitable for the new-look service forcing the rethink.

Chairman of the district councilÕs north east area community committee Richard Hope said on Tuesday that the fresh proposals were unacceptable and accused the government agency of going back on its word.

ÒWe had an extensive consultation about moving the Liphook Jobcentre to Bordon. We put a lot of effort into that but now somebody has thrown that out,Ó he said.

ÒWe utterly condemn these proposals. It is a clear breach of promise.Ó

Sam James (Bramshott and Liphook) also pointed out that there was no way that that district council would have supported the closure of Liphook if there was a possibility of it not moving to Bordon.

ÒWhen we agreed to give up the Jobcentre in Liphook it was part of the deal that one would open in Bordon,Ó he said.

ÒIt was not part of the deal for us to give up the Jobcentre in Liphook for it to be in Alton.Ó

Other members supported his view and argued that it was unfair to try and choose between Bordon and Alton when both are in need of a Jobcentre.

David Kidd (Whitehill) said: ÒWe must not allow them to put one town up against the other. We have got two large centres and both could support the facility.Ó

But councillors were unanimously agreed that if it were to become a choice between the two then the Jobcentre must be sited in Bordon which, councillors claim, has a higher unemployment rate and poorer public transport links.

Anna James (Bramshott and Liphook) said: ÒIf there is only to be one Jobcentre then it has to be in Bordon and if it comes to it them I will be batting for Bordon.Ó

There was also great anger expressed at Jobcentre PlusÕ consultation method after the district council only received a letter from the organisation this week despite the fact that the consultation ends today )Friday)

This was coupled by the fact that Whitehill Town Council only learned of the plans after being contacted by The Herald.

David Kidd said: ÒThe first that the town council knew of this was through a newspaper reporter. This is something which should be utterly deplored.Ó

The town council itself, whose planning and amenities committee examined the plans on Monday , was also upset and angry over Jobcentre PlusÕ consultation.

Town clerk Linda Tiley said: ÒI think it is unacceptable that we were not consulted directly. The closing date for comments is July 19. We have not got a full council meeting until the end of July.Ó

Preliminary comments have been sent to the agency with the town councilÕs full response being sent after the town council meets on July 29.

It is expected to put together a case arguing for it to be sited in Bordon.

She said: ÒIf it were to go to Alton we would not get a Jobcentre at all. Transport is already a problem and if we had to travel to Alton it would cause more problems.

ÒThere are a lot of arguments which we can use to get it in Bordon. Bordon has a higher number of unemployed people and we also have more people on benefits.Ó

Whitehill and BordonÕs CAB has expressed its views over the consultation and has joined with the district council in asking for a Jobcentre in both Bordon and Alton.

ÒWe trust this will not be another case of Bordon losing out again after so many years of campaigning,Ó CAB manager Diana Wilson said.

ÒI fully understand that Alton also requires a Jobcentre and with the centreÕs becoming multi-functional I would have thought both towns could easily sustain a centre.Ó

A spokeswoman for Jobcentre Plus told The Herald that comments sent about the plans would be digested over the next few months before a final decision over where to open the new-look Jobcentre is made.