Minister urged to defer downgrading of local SSA offices

Minister urged to defer downgrading of local SSA offices

24 October 2012

STORMONT Minister Nelson McCausland has been asked to defer controversial plans to downgrade Social Security Agency offices across the district.

A radical shake-up of services provided at offices in Downpatrick, Newcastle and Ballynahinch will result in staff currently responsible for processing income support and jobseekers allowance payments having to transfer out of the area to either Newry or Armagh as the service is being centralised.

Down councillors are determined to halt the erosion of yet more public sector jobs from the district and want more time to robustly challenge the decision taken by the Department for Social Development (DSD) to downgrade local Social Security Agency offices.

They are alarmed at the decision to strip all current benefit processing provision from offices across East Down and have set up a taskforce to vigorously oppose the move.

With Social Security Agency staff due to move out of the district in January, politicians have this week appealed to DSD Minister McCausland to defer the transfer of staff for another six months.

There was across-the-board political support for the proposal tabled at Monday night’s council meeting by councillor Colin McGrath. He described the time allowed to challenge the transfer of Social Security Agency jobs from the district as “grossly unfair.”

He continued: ‘Down Council has set up a taskforce to address the issue of job relocations out of this district. We ask Minister McCausland not to pursue the transfer of Social Security Agency staff for six months to allow the taskforce to gather the relevant information on which to robustly challenge the proposal.”

Councillor Liam Johnston said the investment at the Downshire Hospital site to create a public service campus is geared towards retaining and attracting more public sector jobs to the district, while councillor Éamonn Mac Con Midhe suggested the First and Deputy First Ministers should be invited to view the Downshire complex “to see what Down Council is about and what it’s doing to retain and enhance public sector job provision in the area.”

Council chairman Mickey Coogan said it’s important to widen out the membership of the taskforce which has been created to include politicians from across the district to “maximise the political strength” which can be brought to the argument for retaining public sector jobs in the area.