MACDONALD CALLS FOR RETENTION OF HMRC OFFICE IN GRANGEMOUTH

       SNP SLAM SCOTLAND OFFICE SILENCE OVER HMRC JOBS THREAT

Grangemouth SNP Councillor Angus MacDonald has called on Falkirk Council to voice it’s disapproval of UK Government plans to close the HMRC (Customs & Excise office) in Grangemouth. All of the Council’s Group Leaders agreed at the last Full Council meeting that the Council will submit its views against the closures before the consultation closes on 10^th July.

Cllr MacDonald commented:

“It is with a fair degree of surprise that I learned of the UK Government’s proposal to close the HMRC office in Grangemouth. There are a number of shipping companies based in Grangemouth, handling imports and exports through the Port who have a good working relationship with the Customs & Excise staff. The shipping agents find it extremely useful to have an HMRC office in Grangemouth therefore it would be a backward step for this closure to go ahead, especially given the plans by Forth Ports to increase significantly the throughput of goods and containers at the Port of Grangemouth.

The plans have also been condemned by the SNP’s Westminster Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP, who has reacted with disbelief after receiving the response to a parliamentary question on the future of hundreds of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) jobs across Scotland.

After HMRC announced proposals to close 19 tax offices across Scotland, Mr Hosie tabled a question to the Scottish Secretary asking what discussions the Scotland Office had had with the Treasury – which is responsible for HMRC – on the proposed closure of the tax offices. Scotland Office Minister, David Cairns, responded saying “None”.

Mr Hosie said:

“Across Scotland HMRC offices face closure, hundreds of staff are worried about their jobs, skilled local services are under threat, and what is the Scotland Office’s response? Absolutely nothing!

“It makes me furious that Scotland Office Minister’s, who should be standing up for Scottish jobs, have done nothing.

“Frankly, if the Treasury want to find efficiency savings, they should start by abolishing the Scotland Office, which has been neither use nor ornament for quite some time.”

Mr Hosie also expressed astonishment after the response to a separate question to the Treasury revealed that HMRC had made no assessment of the value of its property holdings in Scotland.

Mr Hosie said:

“If HMRC are hoping to make efficiency savings by closing and selling offices across Scotland, you might have thought they would have made some assessment of the value of their property estate.

“For HMRC to say that they have made no assessment suggests that this consultation process is completely flawed.”

BT have announced a review of phone box provision in Falkirk district and top of their hit list is the traditional red phone box in Jackson Avenue, Grangemouth. 

Responding to notification from BT that the firm is reviewing the location of payphones Grangemouth SNP Councillor Angus MacDonald commented:

“The news that BT are reviewing the location of the Jackson Avenue phone box in Grangemouth is disappointing. It is important that BT retain the payphone in Jackson Avenue. A phone box should not be a luxury in communities, it should be a necessity. Often people on low incomes, including the elderly, have to prioritise their expenditure on heating and food before spending money topping up the credit in their mobile phones, if they have one. It is therefore imperative that the phone box at Jackson Avenue remains in situ so that local residents can continue to have peace of mind that they are within easy reach of a payphone.

"In addition, the old traditional type phone boxes are few and far between, so any that are left should be carefully preserved. I will be writing to BT prior to the closure of the consultation to raise these points with them. Given that the telephone kiosk in Market Street, Bo'ness (which is identical to the Jackson Avenue K2 model) is a listed building I see no reason why the Jackson Avenue phone box should not get a similar listing. Falklirk Council, Historic Scotland and the Grangemouth community must play their part in retaining this phone box.