Warning for thousands on Universal Credit as 26 Jobcentres to close – are you affected?
THOUSANDS of people on Universal Credit will be affected by another 26 Jobcentre closures.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is closing a further 26 Jobcentres as it looks to shrink its high street presence.
But the closures only affect Jobcentres which were set up temporarily during the pandemic.
These were set up to help ensure social distancing guidelines were followed.
The DWP has said that the closure of these additional temporary sites, where they are no longer required, will not reduce its level of service or a claimants’ ability to access face-to-face appointments.
A spokesperson for the department said: “We no longer need the temporary space we acquired during the pandemic to accommodate social distancing.
“The closing of these temporary sites will not reduce our levels of service, or access to face-to-face appointments.
“Customers will return to being served by their established Jobcentre and there will be no reduction in the number of work coaches serving customers as a result.”
Here’s a full list of the 26 Jobcentres set to close their doors within the next few months:
- Barnsley
- Basildon
- Bedford
- Blackburn
- Bracknell
- Exeter
- Falkirk
- Harlow
- Hounslow (Additional space only)
- Huddersfield
- Kingston
- Leeds
- Leeds
- London Bromley
- London Croydon Borough
- London Edmonton (Enfield)
- London Hammersmith
- London Rushey Green (Lewisham)
- London Walthamstow
- Newport
- Oldham
- Ramsgate
- Reading
- Rhyl
- Scunthorpe
- Southampton
The DWP first announced that it was closing 20 temporary Jobcentres on February 8.
It then announced that it was shutting a further 19 locations in May.
And 36 temporary Jobcentres closed in June.
The DWP already operates 639 permanent Jobcentres staffed with work coaches to help and support those claiming legacy benefits and Universal Credit.
Last year, the DWP announced the closure of 10 “poorer quality” Jobcentres and many were merged to help offer customers a better level of service.
Jobcentres are there to assist those on Universal Credit to find and get back into work.
When you apply for Universal Credit online, you will need to visit your local Jobcentre where you’ll be assigned a work coach and a dedicated central case manager.
All the advice and help provided is free of charge and the work coach helps customers look for work that is most suited to their skills.
If you want to contact your nearest office, you can find their details using the local office search on Gov.UK.
You can write to your nearest office by using their address from the local office search.
Their address will also be on any letters you’ve been sent.
You can contact Jobcentre Plus about:
- New benefit claims
- Existing benefit claims
- Changing or cancelling an appointment
If you already claim Universal Credit you can contact your assigned Jobcentre by signing in to your online journal.
Claimants should expect to get a reply Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.