Down councillors to press Social Security Agency boss on local jobs

Down councillors to press Social Security Agency boss on local jobs

3 April 2013

A DELEGATION of politicians is to meet with the head of the Social Security Agency (SSA) to seek long term assurances for local jobs.

The Public Sector Jobs Task Force is to meet with chief executive Tommy O’Reilly to clarify the position of existing SSA staff employed in the district, and to explore the possibility of setting up a Universal Credit processing centre in Down District.

In June it was announced that staff working in all three local offices responsible for processing income support and jobseekers allowance payments would transfer out of the area to either Lurgan or Newry as part of a centralisation policy. Following political pressure, however, it was announced there would be a reprieve to staffing changes at the Downpatrick office.

Down Council recently established the Public Sector Jobs Task Force to lobby for the consolidation of existing public sector jobs and to promote the district as a place to locate new public sector jobs.

The meeting with the Social Security Agency will take place on April 26 in the Downshire Civic Centre.

Councillor Cadogan Enright said there had been full cross-party support for the actions of the Job Task Force.

“By having all parties working to the same agenda based on the same briefings, we are far more likely to break Down District out of its cycle of decline,” he said.

“If we can keep this up, it will be a major boost for the area. We only have to land one big project to make a difference.”