2008 press releases

Norman Baker urges keeping local tax office open

Local MP Norman Baker has urged Treasury Minister Jane Kennedy to reject the recommendation from her officials to close the HMRC tax office at Medwyn House, Mountfield Road, Lewes. The office currently employs 53 local people.

At a meeting in the Minister's office in the Treasury this morning, Norman set out the case for keeping the office open:

• The county town is dependant on public sector jobs and any decision by HMRC to withdraw could have a knock-on effect for other parts of the public sector.
• Not all the 53 staff will want, or be able, to transfer to Brighton or other locations, which could mean both lost jobs for the individuals affected, and a loss of vital knowledge and expertise to the tax office itself.
• There will be a significant cost to the taxpayer from any closure, including the requirement to fund extra travel costs for affected staff for up to 5 years. The union estimated that these and other associated costs could come to £450,000.
• The Lewes office is centrally located and only a few minutes' walk from the town's railway station. It also offers customer parking. The Brighton office, on the other hand, is inaccessible by car with little unsecured parking and no street parking nearby.
• The Lewes office, unlike its counterpart in Brighton, offers good access for those with disabilities.

Norman says:

"To close the town's tax office would be bad for local constituents and businesses, and bad for the coherence of Lewes as a primary administrative centre for Sussex. It would also create a very uncertain future for the 53 local people working there. Nor is it certain that the proposal will actually save any money. For all these reasons, I am asking Jane Kennedy to think again and keep the Lewes office open.

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