Dundee City Council leader John Alexander has urged HMRC to rethink their plans to close Sidlaw House, saying the staff’s work during the cornoavirus pandemic shows the need for the facility in the city.
Staff are currently working from home and have played a role in deploying the UK government’s Job Retention Scheme, which has placed workers across the country on furlough while the health crisis unfolds.
The site is set to close by spring 2022, with jobs moving to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Mr Alexander has written to the chief executive of HMRC, Jim Harra, requesting a dialogue over keeping Sidlaw House open.
In the letter, Mr Alexander described the impending closure as a “major blow” to the local economy. He also pointed out that Covid-19 may force a rethink over how large offices operate, suggesting having more, smaller offices may help social distancing.
He also rubbished a “central pillar” of the Cabinet Office’s estates claims that relocation decisions would act as a “driver of growth” in more “economically challenged” parts of the UK.
Mr Alexander pointed out “Dundee had one of the lowest employment rates of any UK city” last year, whereas Edinburgh had one of the highest.
HMRC remain committed to the closure, but did thank staff for their efforts in rolling out the new payment scheme.
Mr Alexander said: “During this crisis, the need for a fully staffed base in Dundee has been clearly demonstrated.
“Teams within Sidlaw House have proven themselves to be dedicated, adaptable, skilled and willing to take on this new challenge at a time when their own roles are unclear.”
Nearly 500 staff at the Technology Park office face uncertain futures as a result of the closure.
Staff were previously told they would be transferred to the Department of Work and Pensions, but after a “devastating betrayal” those posts were not guaranteed.
A HMRC spokesman said: “We thank all of our people for the great work they are doing to keep the nation going during these extremely difficult times.
“Our priorities remain as they have been throughout the Covid-19 crisis — to provide a safe working environment for colleagues, while implementing the emergency measures as fast as we can and keeping our usual services running for customers.
“Our plans for Sidlaw House are for it to remain open until spring 2022 and we are doing everything we can to support our people on an individual basis, to work through possible options, identify redeployment opportunities and offer career support.
“We remain committed to building an moving into regional centres, creating the high quality modern workplaces key to HMRC’s transformation.”
