Stand up for tax staff
Following the council election results, as a constituent, I would be interested to hear the views of the newly-elected councillors regarding the shambolic decision of HMRC to press ahead with their Building Our Future (BoF) programme.
This will lead to HMRC going from local offices to regional centres, with only one city centre location in Glasgow.
As you may be aware, HMRC is embarking on its BoF programme to close almost all of its current estate – going from 160 plus offices to 13 regional hubs and four specialist sites.
Already, HMRC has announced 152 compulsory redundancies – even whilst recruiting in some areas – with thousands more jobs threatened by BoF.
This is on top of a reduction in overall staffing numbers from approximately 105,000 in 2005, to approximately 58,000 now.
I am also concerned that in addition to the potential job losses.
HMRC does not have the ability to meet its obligations to close the tax gap, an issue which is obviously increasingly concerning to the public and certainly has a detrimental impact upon the UK economy.
Surely you will agree that the plan should have been subject to proper parliamentary scrutiny and trust that as an elected representative you will assist in ensuring that pressure is applied to elected members in Westminster and the Scottish Parliament respectively?
What are your views and plan of action to mitigate the potential catastrophic effect it will have in an already economically deprived area such as Paisley when the inevitable job cuts occur once the move to the new regional centres are completed?
With the news that the DWP are also planning office closures, this will be a double whammy to people within your ward who work in the respective departments.
This could potentially put further pressure on the under-resourced, oversubscribed foodbanks that serve the local area.
I trust that, wherever possible, you will support such vital services given the bleak future of the people of your local area affected by potential lifechanging events such as losing their job.
I would like your assurance that, as a newly elected councillor, you will do whatever you can to mitigate such potential job losses in the local area and campaign against these closures, which could have a significantly adverse effect on the local community. Name and address supplied by email
Thanksforvoting
I would like to take the opportunity to thank people in Paisley Southwest for allowing me to represent them once again on the council.
I hope that I will continue to provide the kind of service they should be getting from their councillors, and I will work hard to ensure that they get that from me.
As Liberal Democrats, we were disappointed that we did not manage to elect a fantastic candidate, Catriona Campbell, in the Paisley East and Ralston seat, despite a magnificent effort by her and her team.
Sadly, a combination of untruths by the Tories and their emphasis on national rather than local politics encouraged people to vote for them.
I believe the people of that ward will lose out as a result of that decision – as will we all throughout Renfrewshire by the rise of the Tories, an extremist national reaction to the extremist national politics of Nicola Sturgeon.
Local government is too important to be caught up in these politics, but sadly that is what has happened last week. Councillor Eileen McCartin MBE Scottish Liberal Democrats Paisley