UNION leaders have raised fears over the future of 60 tax worker jobs in York – and claimed the public will be badly hit by reduced opening hours at the city’s tax inquiry centre.

Ann Pegg, branch secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), said 60 Human Resources (HR) staff based at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) offices in St Saviourgate, could be affected by Government plans to streamline HR across the civil service, although the full impact was not yet known.

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said in light of the budget deficit, the civil service was constantly looking at ways of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of its back office functions. “The HR function is no exception and the civil service is exploring ways of better sharing HR functions and responsibilities across departmental boundaries.”

Mrs Pegg claimed the public would suffer inconvenience through separate HMRC proposals to cut the opening hours of the city’s tax inquiry centre, situated in separate offices in Piccadilly, from five to three days a week.

She said customers wanting face-to-face tax advice would have to wait some time for an appointment, with pensioners and those claiming tax credits the hardest hit, as they were the centre’s most frequent callers. She said inquiry centre users often travelled miles to visit the office to sort out their tax problems. “We are worried that when they get here, they will find it closed, and have to come back another day.”

She claimed many people still did not have access to the internet or feel comfortable using it to get advice about financial matters instead of meeting someone face-to-face.

York Central MP, Hugh Bayley, has written to HM Revenue & Customs to ask that the York tax inquiry centre does not reduce its current opening hours.

He said: “Small business and taxpayers value being able to go in to the inquiry centre to get the advice they need. The tax system is complicated and the HM Revenue & Customs have a responsibility to help people complete their tax returns accurately.”

An HMRC spokeswoman said it was reviewing inquiry centre opening patterns based on current demand and was currently consulting on proposals.

She said: “Fewer customers are using our face to face service at inquiry centres as our customers increasingly use our telephone and online services.

However, we are very much aware that there are customers who need face-to-face support to pay what they owe and claim what is due, and we will continue to offer an inquiry centre service to meet that need.”