Hundreds of jobs could be axed in the north of Scotland amid plans to close a series of tax offices across the country.
HMRC announced the closure of a number of offices in the UK yesterday – including those in Aberdeen and Inverness – as part of a shake-up of its services.
Last night, north politicians condemned the proposal and accused Westminster of having “little regard” for the staff affected.
The tax body’s Scottish operations will be shifted to two brand new regional headquarters in Glasgow and Edinburgh, with some jobs retained at the Scottish Crime Campus at Gartcosh.
As part of the proposal, Aberdeen’s Ruby House would close in early 2021, putting 120 jobs at risk.
Meanwhile, River House in Inverness would shut in 2018, meaning more than 50 jobs would be under threat in the Highland capital.
In total, about 2,000 jobs could be lost across the entire country.
Lewis Macdonald, north-east MSP, said the UK Government has “clearly no regard” for HMRC staff or the people of Aberdeen who use the office on a regular basis.
“Aberdeen and the north-east generate vast revenues, yet Tory cuts mean we won’t even get to keep our own local tax office,” he said.
Meanwhile, Highland MP Drew Hendry described the plans as a “devastating blow” for the community.
Mr Hendry, who represents the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency, said: “It is a devastating blow given that the scale of the job losses are far worse than anyone was prepared for.
“It is unacceptable that these staff should lose their jobs because of their location especially when their skills are so obviously needed in other areas of the organisation.”
Last night, the Public and Commercial Services union called for a parliamentary review into the HMRC’s decision.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary, said: “No one should be in any doubt that, if implemented, these proposals would be absolutely devastating for HMRC and the people who work there.
“Closing this many offices would pose a significant threat to the operation of HMRC, its service to the public and the working lives of staff, and the need for parliamentary scrutiny of the plans is undeniable and urgent.”
Last night, HMRC officials said the closures were essential if the organisation was to modernise.
They insisted they would do everything possible to help staff relocate to the new regional centres or to find new jobs within the service.
Edward Troup, who is in charge of operations north of the border, said staff had been aware of the plans for about 18 months.
He added
“These plans will allow us to be more flexible in an increasingly digital environment. It will also allow us to offer better careers to those people based at the two regional centres.”