HMRC urged to keep Sidlaw House open

Dundee City Council leader John Alexander has urged HMRC to rethink its plans to close Sidlaw House, saying the staff’s work during the coronavirus 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.

He pointed out “Dundee had one of the lowest employment rates of any UK city” last year, whereas Edinburgh had one of the highest.

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 for Work and Pensions, but after a “devastating betrayal” those posts were not guaranteed.

An HMRC spokesman said: “Our plans for Sidlaw House are for it to remain open until spring 2022 and we are doing all we can to support our people.”