October 22, 2013 11.16 am This story is over 125 months old

Job losses as Lincoln DVLA office will close this week

Lost jobs: Staff at the Lincoln DVLA office on Firth Road will be made redundant at the end of this week as the office prepares to close.

Staff at the Lincoln DVLA office on Firth Road will be made redundant at the end of this week as the office prepares to close.

On October 25, the Lincoln branch of the DVLA will close its doors, with the 11 staff employed being made officially redundant on October 31.

The Lincoln branch is among 39 regional offices closing following a consultation that began last December.

The closure comes despite a number of strikes earlier in the year in response to the national threat of closing DVLA offices in favour of the internet or a vehicle taxing Post Office.

The closures would save £28 million in the 2014/15 financial year, at the loss of 1,200 jobs nationwide.

In past year, the Lincoln office served 38,100 customers covering 79 services, carried out 66,300 transactions and processed approximately £5.7 million.

Lauraine Compton, Lincoln Local Office PCS Union Rep, said: “I am hugely disappointed that the response from the public since December 2011 has not stopped the closures.

“An e-petition was set up, PCS Union created their largest ever paper petition of 79,000 signatures which was presented to the government and 79% of people who responded to the original government consultation said that they did not agree with the changes being made.

“The loss of such a knowledgeable workforce will have an impact on the level of service, especially when dealing with some of the more complex and unusual queries.

“My colleagues have always worked hard to ensure the best possible service, within the constraints of the regulations and legislation.”

She added: “All the staff would like to thank the public, motor traders and service users for the support given to them since the announcement was made last year!”