Galashiels job centre to stay put 'for long-term'

Plans to move the job centre to empty retail units have been dropped

Plans to move a job centre have been shelved after it was decided they no longer provided good value for money.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wanted to move from New Reiver House in Galashiels to empty retail units on the town's Douglas Bridge.

Scottish Borders Council rejected the plans but they were approved on appeal by the Scottish government.

However, the DWP has now confirmed it intends to stay on its current site "long-term".

Plans to move to a different location in the town were announced last year.

'Loss of retail space'

The DWP said it was part of a drive to deliver public services in "more innovative and cost-effective ways".

Councillors initially refused planning permission due to the "loss of prime retail floor space" in the town but a Scottish government reporter concluded it could go ahead.

The DWP could have taken forward the proposals on that basis but it has now decided not to.

Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk MP John Lamont welcomed the decision.

"This news provides some welcome certainty to job centre users and staff," he said.

"The DWP was sincere in its desire to create a more accessible job centre for Galashiels, but the facility at New Reiver House is a good one, which works well."

Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale MSP Christine Grahame said the current site was more easily accessible than the one where the move had been proposed.

"The plan to site it on Douglas Bridge would have been a short-sighted attempt to fill empty units and would have hampered future regeneration efforts," she said.

"I understand that the DWP have made this decision on the basis that a move would not be good value for money.

"In addition to this, I would add that it would have caused unnecessary disruption for service users."