Jobs fears as Benefits Office relocate staff to Andersonstown

But the decision to re-locate staff dealing with Job Seekers and Income Support applications to the Kennedy Centre from June has left many worried about security and transport issues.

One person, who has worked at Bow House for 16 years, said that many members of staff work part time or have children to leave off or pick up from school. whilst others have connections to the police or army, causing fears for personal security.

The 70 staff members will be relocated from Lisburn under a Strategic Business Review Customer First scheme - nicknamed ‘Customer First, Staff Last’ by staff.

The staff member commented: “There was no consultation, no offer of retraining; we were just told we would be moving whether we liked it or not.

“Lisburn is the second district to be reviewed under Customer First. The first district reviewed allowed staff to be retrained so they wouldn’t have to move, but we were just told we were moving.

“Last year they said that Jobseeker’s claims would stay in Lisburn, now there has been a major U-turn and all processing will take place in Andersonstown.

“Meanwhile, they are moving Social Fund claims to Lisburn, but the future of that benefit is not good, there have been drastic cuts to grants and loans in England and there have been major losses for jobs in that department.

“We look at it as political; the Social Development Minister Alex Attwood’s local constituency includes Andersonstown. It is being reported there as a major jobs boost for Andersonstown, but it’s a loss to Lisburn.”

Staff have contacted each political party and local MLAs to speak about their concerns and to see whether anyone can force a re-think.

The staff member added: “A lot of our staff come from Banbridge or Lurgan, it is not a straightforward journey to the new office.”

They also said claimants would suffer because of the change. “It is detrimental for the customer. There won’t be processing staff on site in Lisburn, so the work will be transferred to the new location. If a family is in desperate need, it will take longer for claims to be processed.

“In the last two and a half years there have been between 300-400 Jobseeker’s fresh claims made every month in the Lisburn office. Many of these customers are unemployed for the first time due to the economic downturn and may need a more personal touch that wouldn’t be available in a Benefit Processing Centre.

“I have lived in Lisburn all my life. Working here for so many years, I can see the affect job losses are having on the town. We were out for a fire alarm recently and when you see the amount of people working in Bow House, losing the staff will have an affect on local services and shops that we use each day.

“Also because Lisburn is a garrison town there are a lot of claims from army wives, ex-military or people that are part-time in the TA, who are worried about their details being held in Andersonstown.”

Ulster Unionist Lagan Valley election candidate, Basil McCrea said the decision will affect locals in Lisburn: “There is no doubt that some of the 350 new claims, or hundreds of individuals who use the centre each month will now have to travel to Andersonstown to speak to specialists on certain benefit issues.”

“Speaking as a Policing Board Member I feel the interests of ex-service PSNI officers, or currently serving military officers claiming benefits such as income support or pensions, are not being given adequate consideration in this decision.

“The relocation of some claimant matters will create security issues that do not currently exist at a time of increased dissident activity.”

Speaking on the disruption to office staff Mr McCrea said: “The staff have told me that they were only informed they would have to relocate less than a month ago.

“Many were only able to commit to part time hours at this office due to caring responsibility of elderly loved ones or very young children at local schools.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Social Development said: “A plan to improve customer service was announced by the Social Security Agency (SSA) in March of this year. Following extensive public consultation the plan, entitled Customer First, was successfully piloted in the SSA’s North District last year and is now being rolled out across Northern Ireland, beginning in Belfast West and Lisburn District. This comprises four offices, Andersonstown, Falls Road, Lisburn and Shaftesbury Square.

“The Department is satisfied that the new arrangements will enhance the already professional service provided by the Social Security Agency to its customers. Customers will continue to be able to access the full range of front office benefit and employment-related services at their current Jobs and Benefits Offices and will not be expected to travel between offices.

“The number of SSA staff based in Lisburn will remain broadly unchanged once these new arrangements have been put in place.

“It is anticipated that these changes will be completed by this autumn and the Customer First team are currently working closely with all affected staff in the District to ensure that their concerns and particular circumstances are considered. It is important to stress that no member of staff will lose their employment as a result of this improvement to service delivery.”

[email protected]