PROTESTORS will rally outside an under threat DWP office this weekend as Furness MP Simon Fell calls on the Government to act.

The DWP office in Barrow processes industrial injury and disablement benefits.

The closure of the site proposed for October 2023 puts 39 DWP staff working at Phoenix House in Barrow at risk of redundancy.

The staff at Phoenix House process IIDB which is a specialist benefit targeting claimants with work-related illness.

PCS members and campaigning allies from the Northern TUC and Asbestos Victims Support Group will hold a protest rally outside its walls at 1.30pm on Saturday.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “If the DWP goes ahead with its plans to close this office it would be a disaster. The services that hardworking PCS members provide here is invaluable - helping the dependents of people who die at work, for example, is critical. Their years of experience and knowledge should not be consigned to the scrapheap but recognised and valued. We will fight these proposals every step of the way.”

Martin Cavanagh, PCS DWP group president, will address Saturday’s rally alongside supporters from the TUC and the AVSGF.

Mr Fell has presented a petition to Parliament calling on the DWP to ensure that the services are not withdrawn.

Several dozen petitioners have signed the paper copy of the petition, with more than three hundred signing up via the MP’s website.

Mr Fell said: “The threat to our community is beyond the more than forty jobs that are at risk.

“Because of our proud industrial heritage, we have a disproportionately higher rate of related illnesses that the amazing team at Phoenix House help and support with their benefit payments.

“It is widely accepted that Phoenix House is no longer fit for purpose. Through the regeneration projects going in the town, however, there are ample suitable alternatives to house this team, and it is essential that we all do our best to retain this service in Barrow.

“The weight of feeling from Furness based residents is very clear. I’ve been working together with unions, staff, service users, other MPs in Parliament on a cross party basis and campaign groups.

“I’ll be joining members of the public in the demonstration against the plans on Saturday, and I’ll continue to press the Government on this.”

Earlier this year, the Government announced plans to close 42 DWP sites in a move which the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union it said would put at least 1,100 jobs at risk.

The then DWP minister David Rutley said the plans would span the next three years, with the department  'transitioning to an estate that is smaller, greener and better'.

Mr Rutley added the Government would 'see what opportunities there are within DWP' and other departments for affected staff and added that the change 'does not impact job centres and the customer-facing interactions'.