MORE than 500 benefit offices across the UK are to close under controversial plans to axe 30,000 civil service jobs, union leaders have warned.

The Public & Commercial Services Union (PCS) said it was "shocked" to learn that 550 benefit offices and 10 pension centres will close.

The union warned that pensioners and people relying on benefits would suffer because services would be "slashed" and processing of pay-outs would build up.

The details were the first to emerge following an announcement by the Chancellor in his Budget that more than 40,000 jobs were going to be cut from the civil service.

More than 30,000 of the job cuts will be at the Department for Work & Pensions.

The union said the processing of benefits, such as jobseekers allowance and income support, will move from 650 sites to 100 centres, bringing an end to a local service.

Pension centres in York, Liverpool, Derby, Norwich, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Stockton, Wrexham, Burnley and Plymouth will close.

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said: 'To think you can arbitrarily slash thousands of essential jobs without any adverse impact on the delivery of services is the height of naivety.

'The pension service and access to benefit advice will be decimated by these proposals, denying local access to services for thousands of pensioners and some of the most vulnerable in society.

'These cuts will impact on every community in the UK, damaging services and local economies and putting hard-working public servants on the dole.'

The union called on the Government to re-think its plans and said it should not go ahead with the cuts because of the 'devastating impact' they will cause.

Mr Serwotka warned that if the Government presses ahead the union will consider 'all options' to defend jobs.

The PCS has already warned it might take industrial action in protest at the massive cutback of civil service jobs.

As well as 30,000 job losses in the DWP, the Government is also aiming to cut 10,000 posts in the Inland Revenue and Customs and more than 1,000 at the Department for Education & Skills.

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