DOWN Council has vowed to do all it can to prevent the loss of more public sector jobs from Downpatrick.
The move comes as uncertainty surrounds the future of Driver and Vehicle Licensing staff based at Rathkeltair House.
The Department of Transport is currently consulting on the future of car tax offices across the Province, including the main Driver and Vehicle Licensing headquarters in Coleraine.
Councillors were told last week that vehicle licensing work in Northern Ireland is fully funded by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea which supports 300 jobs Province-wide.
They heard the DVLA is currently completing an IT project that will result in the decommissioning of the separate computer system used for vehicle licensing work in Northern Ireland.
As a result, it is anticipated that by the end of this year, all of the DVLAs local and regional offices in Britain will be closed, resulting in the loss of around 1,400 jobs, with all DVLA work based in the Welsh city.
Stormont Environment Minister Mark Durkan is vehemently against the loss of Driver and Vehicle and Licensing jobs from Northern Ireland and Down Council is supporting his campaign to help retain them.
The proposal to close car tax offices in Northern Ireland is out to public consultation and councillor Dermot Curran has highlighted the importance of making a robust case for their retention.
“Down District cannot afford to lose more public sector jobs,” he declared.
“Down Council has been doing its bit to reverse this trend and attract new jobs. We will do all we can to retain the Driver and Vehicle Licensing jobs in Downpatrick and our support is very much with our local staff. They have our backing,” he added.
Councillor Terry Andrews described the proposed closure of car tax offices as tantamount to “selling off the family silver” and warned centralising the service in Swansea will result in countless problems for local people.
Councillor Anne McAleenan highlighted the need for the local authority’s response to the public consultation to be formulated by the September 11 deadline, while councillor Colin McGrath said Down Council needs to send a “strong, positive signal” that it wants the car tax office jobs retained in Downpatrick.
“Someone in England who does not know where Downpatrick is is making a decision about the future of its Driver and Vehicle Licensing office,” he declared. “We need to vigorously fight what is being proposed here.”