Just five job vacancies but no new job centre for Strabane

In May 6.9 per cent of people in the Tyrone town were claiming the dole. It was one of the worst three unemployment blackspots in Northern Ireland alongside Londonderry and Belfast and is one of the hardest places in NI to get a job.

But Strabane is not going to benefit from a brand new jobs and benefits office unlike 27 places elsewhere, many of which do not face such an intractable unemployment problem, but have all been afforded the privilege.

Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland told the Assembly last week that despite a ten year programme of refurbishments and revamps elsewhere the money has now run out and Strabane is not getting a new office.

The Minister said the delivery of jobs and benefits offices had been largely achieved elsewhere through the refurbishment of existing social security office buildings and the co-location of the services of the Social Security Agency’s social security offices and the Department for Employment and Learning.

But it had become clear at an early stage that a number of offices would require purpose-built premises and this included Strabane.

“Ten newbuilds were grouped at the end because they were in need of a major procurement programme, and the office in Strabane fell into that group,” explained the Minister.

“Although there was good progress in developing the initial 25 new jobs and benefits offices, there was significant slippage in the delivery of the last 10 offices, due to difficulties in identifying sites and procurement issues,” he told members.

Two sites were apparently identified for Strabane’s new office in 2006 but one was too dear and the other was not good enough.

It was then decided to review “options for either a full office refurbishment or a refurbishment of front office only, and planning applications for both models were submitted, with approval being received during 2009.”

The Minister went on to explain how the move stalled with the 2010 spending review and the subsequent 40 per cent capital reduction in Departmental budgets.

“All Departments have been obliged, therefore, to make difficult decisions about the future delivery of projects. The inability to deliver a new jobs and benefits office in Strabane is, therefore, a result of not receiving capital

funding in response to bids submitted in the spending review in 2010.

“To date, 27 jobs and benefits offices have been delivered. It is regrettable that new jobs and benefits offices cannot be delivered in Strabane and the seven other areas impacted by the decision,” the Minister said.

Mr McCausland said the delivery of the remaining jobs and benefits office would cost £37m and a more modest refurbishment of existing social security office would need a capital investment of £6m; he couldn’t afford either.

The Minister said he recognised the severe unemployment problem in Strabane with over 1,700 people claiming jobseekers’ allowance and only five vacancies currently notified to the employment service for the area.

“The Department for Employment and Learning is working closely with Invest NI to assist client companies and potential inward investors to recruit employees, particularly from among the long-term unemployed,” he said.

“The Steps to Work programme has assisted clients in developing their skills, and 95 clients in Strabane who are

currently in employment receive an employer subsidy through that programme.

“The Steps Ahead strand of that programme currently provides temporary waged employment for 39 long-term unemployed people in Strabane,” he added.

He also said the lack of a new jobs and benefits office in Strabane would have no impact on the 69 staff employed in the social security office and the jobcentre in Strabane.

But the Minister defended the prioritisation of offices in North Belfast, Newtonards and Downpatrick above Strabane - not his decision but that of a predecessor - due to the greater size of those offices.

“Strabane was given priority among the category 2 offices, which included those in Strabane, Newcastle and Cookstown, on the basis of its history of high unemployment and associated deprivation levels,” he said.

Assembly.

“A number of offices, namely those in north Belfast, Newtownards and Downpatrick were prioritised in advance of Strabane as a result of their greater size and their strategic importance to the delivery of the strategic business review, Customer First, as they delivered the capacity for more centralised processing.

“I hope that that clarifies the situation for Members. I appreciate and empathise with their desire for the work to be taken forward.

“As I said, we will progress that work on a case-bycase basis, and we have not given up on any location, including Strabane,” he concluded.