Timetable for next stage of Regional Review programme
H M Revenue and Customs has today announced to staff the timetable for the next stage of its programme to rationalise offices in ‘clusters’ – concentrations of offices in smaller towns and cities around the UK.
In all, 170 office buildings will be assessed between December 2007 and summer 2008, involving 16,000 staff.
The reviews will follow the well established process used in urban centres and begin with office buildings in the South East, East Midlands and West Midlands regions as detailed in the table below.
Reviews of individual locations – broadly offices beyond 25km of other HMRC sites – are scheduled to begin in April 2008. However, a small number will now be brought forward for review alongside adjacent clusters where it has been recognised that significant numbers of staff live close enough to travel to one of the cluster offices. The new timetable will ensure decisions about such individual locations take into account the interests of all staff.
Individual locations to be reviewed alongside clusters are: Aylesbury, Brecon, Coleraine, Dorchester, Enniskillen, Launceston, Londonderry, Ludlow, Penzance, Salisbury, Scunthorpe and Yeovil.
In addition, some locations previously identified as clusters have been redesignated as individuals and are to be reviewed from April 2008. These are: Andover, Cambridge, Chippenham, Exeter, Frome, Huntingdon, Kendal, Kings Lynn, Newbury and York.
In Northern Ireland, HMRC will also be reviewing individual locations alongside clusters. While all reviews include equality screenings, Northern Ireland is the first location to be subject to a full Equality Impact Assessment, and the bringing together of cluster and individuals reviews will facilitate completion of that process. In addition, feedback from staff in Northern Ireland has indicated that this approach would be preferable to reviewing Individuals later in the Programme.
| Region | Staff consultation starts: | Staff consultation finishes: | Proposed date for announcement of decisions |
|---|---|---|---|
South East |
December 2007 |
February 2008 |
May/June 2008 |
East Midlands |
December 2007 |
February 2008 |
May/June 2008 |
West Midlands |
December 2007 |
February 2008 |
May/June 2008 |
Yorkshire and Humber |
January 2008 |
March 2008 |
June/July 2008 |
East |
January 2008 |
March 2008 |
June/July 2008 |
North West |
January 2008 |
March 2008 |
June/July 2008 |
South West |
February 2008 |
April 2008 |
July/August 2008 |
Wales |
February 2008 |
April 2008 |
July/August 2008 |
Scotland |
February 2008 |
April 2008 |
July/August 2008 |
Northern Ireland |
February 2008 |
April 2008 |
July/August 2008 |
North East |
Does not contain any clusters |
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