This Department continues its commitment to provide local personalised support for customers and families to help them into employment and progress their careers, while delivering for the economy.

During the pandemic, and in direct response to the anticipated pressures on the labour market, the Department secured time-limited funding to rapidly introduce additional jobcentres. This was to deliver a temporary expansion to the existing network of 639 established jobcentre sites and provide more work coaches to support claimants.

The temporary expansion of the jobcentre estate enabled us to drive forward our plan for jobs, helping people back into the labour market, right across the UK. Our plan for jobs saw the launch and success of kickstart and restart which has resulted in:

Over 305,000 kickstart jobs approved for funding (as at 31 January 2021);

Over 163,200 kickstart jobs started by young people (as at 27 June 2022); and

340,000 claimants commenced on the restart scheme (as at September 2022).

We now have a low unemployment rate of 3.7%, payroll employment at a record high of 29.9 million, over 2 million more women in employment since 2010 and a record high ethnic minority employment rate of 69.2%.

In a written statement of 20 July 2022, “DWP Estate”, HCWS253, the Department outlined its plans to take advantage of lease breaks and vacate older, poorer-quality jobcentre buildings. Several of the temporary sites, where they offer better, more suitable accommodation than our existing offices—and provide better value for money for the taxpayer—will be retained. Established jobcentres will move into these buildings. Others will be decommissioned where the increased capacity is no longer needed. This is due to the removal of social distancing measures, but also where work coaches and services can now be accommodated in established jobcentres.

The Department is also committed to improving the sustainability of its buildings, contributing to the commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040 and is therefore adapting its estate to be more sustainable and energy efficient.

The Department has always been clear the additional jobcentres were opened on a temporary basis to help us adapt our services and support in response to the pandemic, as set out in my previous statement “DWP—Expanding Our Services” on 23 March 2021. The decommissioning of these additional temporary sites, where they are no longer required, will not reduce our levels of service or access to face-to-face appointments going forward. Most customers will return to being served by their established jobcentre and there will be no reduction in the number of work coaches serving customers as a result of these changes.

The Department is taking a phased approach towards decommissioning these temporary jobcentres. This will minimise any impact on service delivery and optimise opportunities, where appropriate, to gain better buildings and work environments for all.

The first tranche will include 20 temporary jobcentres, with subsequent phases throughout 2023 and 2024 as we continue to review the extra capacity across all sites and assess when exiting might be appropriate.

Letters are being sent to each MP with changes in their constituency to explain what it means for their local jobcentre and its staff, and their constituents.

We remain committed to updating Parliament on the renewal of our estates, as well as our work to ensure that both our staff and customers are operating in buildings and environments fit for the future.

The first 20 sites to be formally decommissioned by March 2023 are:

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