Pamela Nash, the Labour MP for Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke, is urging the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to reverse its proposal to close Johnstone House on Airbles Road in Motherwell. The building currently accommodates approximately 500 DWP staff members.
The DWP has announced plans to shut the facility and move its employees to Atlantic Quay in Glasgow as part of a broader estate rationalisation programme aimed at reducing costs and improving efficiency.
MP Raises Concerns with Minister
Nash met with Andrew Western MP, the Minister for Transformation, in Westminster to voice her opposition to the closure. She emphasised the negative impact on staff, particularly those with caring responsibilities, health issues, or reliance on public transport, who would face a difficult commute to Glasgow.
“While I understand there will be no compulsory redundancies with the closure of Johnstone House, shutting workplaces can have a devastating effect on employees and lead to the loss of skilled, well-paid jobs from local areas,” Nash said. “I also raised the impact on staff of having to travel into Glasgow to work with the Minister. On paper, the journey seems straightforward, but for many employees - especially those with caring responsibilities, health conditions or who rely on public transport - it will be too difficult to manage and time-consuming.”
She added: “Life is local, and I will continue to campaign to retain this crucial workplace in Motherwell.”
DWP Defends Rationalisation Plan
A DWP spokesperson defended the proposal, stating that it is part of efforts to consolidate the department’s estate to make it “smaller”, “more effective”, and “deliver better value for money for the taxpayer”. The spokesperson said: “Through this transition we have been focusing on supporting our staff, with redeployment within the department or in other government departments our first priority. There is no face-to-face customer contact at the affected sites, and Jobcentres and the other vital services we deliver to customers are unaffected.”
The DWP confirmed that voluntary redundancy would only be considered as a last resort, after all redeployment options have been fully explored.
