Government announces closure of a further 36 temporary job centres

Decommissioning programme will not reduce levels of service or access to face-to-face appointments, says DWP Minister

The government has announced the closure of a further 36 temporary jobcentres in the third phase of the DWP's programme to reduce the jobcentre estate to its pre-pandemic levels.

Having confirmed the closure of 20 jobcenters in February 2023, and a further 19 last month, in a written statement to Parliament yesterday, DWP Minister Mims Davies announced that –

'The Department is today announcing a third phase of decommissioning, which consists of 36 sites … Subsequent phases will follow throughout 2023 and 2024 and Parliament will be kept updated.

The Department continues to support and update colleagues affected by these changes in a timely and sensitive manner. Furthermore, the Department continues its ongoing engagement with relevant stakeholders on the planned changes.

Letters are being sent to each MP with changes in their constituency to explain what this means for their local Jobcentre, its staff, and their constituents.'

The Minister added that –

'The decommissioning of these temporary Jobcentres will not reduce our levels of service, or access to face-to-face appointments. Customers will return to being served by their established Jobcentre and there will be no reduction in the number of Work Coaches supporting customers as a result of the decommissioning.'

The Minister's written statement, that includes a list of the jobcentres being decommissioned in the third phase of the DWP's closure programme, is available from parliament.uk