Mid Wales to Lose all Tax Offices

11.45.00am GMT Mon 16th Jun 2008

HMRC has announced proposals to vacate its Brecon offices by 2011 as part of its nationwide review of its office network. Under the review they are looking to reduce their staff by 25% and their accommodation by a third.

Kirsty Williams AM for Brecon & Radnorshire has voiced her support for the 26 staff currently in the Brecon Tax offices and called upon the HMRC to reconsider these devastating proposals.

Kirsty Williams said:"I am greatly disappointed with this news. Despite sustained local support for the retention of this well used and popular office the HMRC has gone ahead with their plans for withdrawal.

"Alongside the proposed closure of the nearest offices in Merthyr Tydfil it will mean that that the HMRC will have no presence whatsoever in the South Wales valleys - nor, indeed, anywhere in the eastern part of Wales between Cardiff and Wrexham.

"Tax payers in Brecon needing face-to-face advice will have to travel more than 40miles to Cardiff. This decision is neither environmentally nor economically sustainable and as usual comes from a central decision maker who has no knowledge of the local area, the logistical constraints and no interest in preserving rural communities.

"This decision flies in the face of all sated Labour Government policy on sustainable communities and is symptomatic of the Cardiff centralism that is still dominant in Welsh politics.

"I am disappointed that the closure of Merthyr will put an end to hopes by some of Brecon staff that they could be accommodated in Merthyr should their own office close. The nearest office will now be Cardiff which will mean that these proposals are effectively a redundancy notice to the largely female staff, who will for the most part be unable to relocate due to caring responsibilities and the distance the commute would entail.

"I will be contributing to the HMRC review and I will be writing to the Minister in Westminster calling upon her support for the retention of the Brecon Office."