FARNHAM'S tax office could be set for closure within two years, after officials have been told been it is no longer a "strategic site". Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is more than halfway through a nationwide programme to slash 12,500 jobs by 2008. Internal figures from HMRC emerged last week, depicting a backlog of more than one million items of post in the department nationwide. These include self-assessment tax returns, P45s, tax credit repayments and tax codes. And a further desire to cut its budget by 15 per cent from 2008 to 2011 looks set to see further office closures and job cuts. With this in mind, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) in Farnham has warned that HMRC would not be fit for purpose in two years' time. And the announcement has hit morale at Farnham's HMRC office in the Woolmead which employs around 80 people. James Rolles, PCS branch secretary for Surrey, said: "This decision will not just affect the employees in the Woolmead, but the loss of local services will affect Farnham greatly. "We understood that there would be job cuts in the revenue, but we did not think it would be that many. Morale has been hit - it's very low and we're all a bit shocked really. "There are concerns that 80 people have all been told there is no long-term future here, and obviously they will not be able to relocate to Southampton or Portsmouth. "This is going to affect the town itself - we will be losing 80 members of staff with collective knowledge. Some have been working here for 20 years." And Mr Rolles was also critical of the "non- replacement policy" enforced by HMRC. "When someone leaves, we are not replacing them so the work has built up. It is now taking a long time to process anything." Mr Rolles also confirmed that the proposed closure has no connection to the lease at the Woolmead, which is set to expire in 2008. "The lease does run out in 2008, but we were expecting it to be renewed." "HMRC does more than just collect taxes. HMRC distributes tax credits and polices the minimum wage. These local services would be lost if the Farnham office were to close. Members of the public can no longer guarantee face-to-face contact with dedicated tax advisers; they will have to deal with centralised call centres. "Customers may have to travel to Portsmouth or Southampton to meet officers dealing with their tax affairs. We are greatly concerned by our management's decision to cut jobs and work. "We will be stepping up our campaign to protect local services and local jobs. Pointing to the backlog of more than one million items of post, the union maintained that further cuts over and above HMRC's target would damage services the public and businesses rely on, as well as undermining the exchequer's ability to collect revenue. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "It is foolhardy in the extreme to think that cutting more jobs and closing more offices will improve service levels in HMRC. With a backlog of more than million items of post already stacking up as the department slashes 12,500 jobs, further cuts will damage service levels and undermine the ability of the exchequer to collect revenue, leaving HMRC unfit for purpose. We are growing increasingly fearful that as other departments also seek to cut their budgets by 15 per cent over the same period, that more job cuts will follow elsewhere. Time is running out for the government, who need to wake up to the fact that cuts mean deteriorating service levels, and who need to realise that decent public services need people to deliver them." Alex Flynn, the PCS' national press officer, added: "In terms of the national picture, staff were told on Thursday that Revenue and Customs are going to plan more job cuts on top of the 12,500. They were told yesterday that between 2008- 2011, they were looking to shed even more jobs - possibly up to another 12,000. "They are also going to reduce the number of tax offices from 284 to 50. Where these will take place we don't know, but what we do know is that there will be job cuts and office closures. "Our concern is it's going to undermine the ability of HMRC to do its job, especially in light of the backlog of more than one million articles of post." While not ruling out industrial action, Mr Flynn continued: "One of the things we will be doing is mounting a vigorous campaign lobbying MPs and talking to ministers which will roll into action in the new year."
