Press releases

LRC backs PCS Land Registry members in their fight against cuts

20th January 2010

In October 2009 Land Registry published proposals that include around 1500 job cuts. This will involve closing 5 Land Registry Offices (Croydon, Tunbridge Wells, Portsmouth, Stevenage, and Peterborough) and the privatisation and outsourcing a number of LR functions.

The PCS union has launched a campaign to fight against these proposals that are damaging to the public sector and to pay and conditions overall, and members are today (Wed 20 Jan) lobbying Parliament against the Land Registry job cuts and office closures.

John McDonnell, LRC Chair, said:

“To be cutting back an organisation like the Land Registry just when the Government is arguing the economy is coming out of recession is another example of New Labour short termism. Jobs will be lost and this important service will be degraded if the Government’s plans go ahead.

“Even at this stage we are hoping Ministers will think again and recognise the important role the Land Registry has to play in the future of our economy.”

Gary Heather, Labour parliamentary candidate for Tunbridge Wells and LRC National Committee member, said:

“Land Registry staff, their union PCS and I are quite rightly outraged and opposed to these ill-thought-out plans. These proposals are devastating for the staff involved. They amount to crude cost cutting measures, without proper regard to the livelihood of staff or the service to the public. 

“It is unacceptable to close whole Land Registry offices, effectively placing staff on the scrapheap without any realistic prospect of redeployment, while also putting service to the public at risk. I will be giving my full support to PCS members and their campaign.”

-Ends-

In Parliament, John McDonnell has tabled EDM 201 ‘Land Registry Office Closures’, which has been supported by 37 MPs:

John McDonnell MP is Chair of the PCS Parliamentary Group.

See the PCS website for more about the campaign against Land Registry cuts.

Sign the Downing Street petition against the Land Registry cuts