Sharon joins campaign to save Land Registry jobs

Sue Funiciello, Sharon Taylor and Richard Howitt with Stevenage Land Registry workers.

Today I visited the Stevenage Land Registry with Richard Howitt, our Labour MEP, to listen to the concerns of staff and the PCS Union regarding management proposals to close the Stevenage office.  This proposed closure would result in the loss of 279 Stevenage jobs, among staff who have worked hard to ensure that their productivity is exceptionally high.Land Registry staff raised a number of issues with us, including the fact that Land Registry intend to continue recruiting in other parts of the country.  They also stressed the  high level of experience and expertise among the Stevenage staff (particularly their work on the Olympic sites and Crossrail in London) and the importance of high quality land registration processes in the economic health of the UK.  Closure of the Stevenage office will also mean that the counter service for local people to get help with queries and registrations will no longer be available.

The human dimension to this is the impact on the staff at the Land Registry and their families, for many of the people we met more than one family member is affected as long serving staff have met and married fellow workers.  With unemployment in Stevenage higher than elsewhere in Hertfordshire, people are very concerned about their ability to find alternative jobs.

I reassured staff that we will do all we can to support them, Stevenage Borough Council will debate a resolution protesting about the closure on 9th December and this will be followed by a robust response to the consultation currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Justice on the closure proposals.  I am also currently arranging for PCS union representativ es and I to meet with our MP, Barbara Follett.

We must do all we can to protect jobs in Stevenage and this group of long serving, expert and highly effective staff deserve the support of the whole town as they fight for their jobs.