Strabane jobs buildingmay not be big enough

A new Government office offering social security and farming support services in Strabane needs to be flexible enough to respond to future challenges expected under the proposed implementation of Universal Credit.

However, concerns have been raised that the new office won’t be big enough to accommodate the amount of public sector workers scheduled to be based there.

Last year the Stormont Social Development, Employment and Agriculture Ministers jointly announced work would begin on the new build this Autumn, subject to planning permission and procurement, with completion expected by Spring 2016.

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The new building at the site of the current Social Security Office (SSO) on Urney Road, will host a modern Jobs and Benefits office and a new DARD Direct Office.

According to a DEL briefing document, obtained by the Sentinel, funding for the new office was only secured through the inclusion of the farming element.

However, the note states: “The inclusion of DARD has raised some concerns in terms of space available to both DEL and DSD to deliver the required business functions.”

The document penned by Colum Boyle, Director of Employment Service at DEL, went on to explain that the new office would have to accommodate at least 55 DEL staff.

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“There is no 20 per cent uplift applied to the figures as recommended by the Universal Credit (UC) Programme’s Resource Model. I have noted that there is insufficient space to meet this additional number of staff and this will be an important risk for the EMP and the UC Programme to manage,” he wrote.

The note goes on to explain that the cost of any additional space or premises required to deliver UC related work would have to be met by the UC Programme rather than DEL.

Mr Boyle goes on to state: “The new office needs to have the flexibility to respond to the future challenges envisaged under the proposed implementation of UC, and is therefore sustainable in the longer term.

“The new office, which is due to go live in 2016 will be built as a model office, reflecting modern work practices and will be designed to deliver a modern work-focused and benefits delivery service to our clients.”

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The document warns, however, that there may not be enough room in the new office.

“The key [concern] is around the number of ‘seats’ in the new office. DEL’s requirement is 55; the Social Security Agency’s (SSA) is 15. This exceeds the capacity of 68. In effect, SSA will require two additional seats.

“We will work together with SSA, using sharing arrangements to ensure that the new build can proceed.”