Back in July, I was contacted by the Minister’s team to advise me that after a six month consultation, the Jobcentre in Hornchurch would be closed and the team moved into the Romford Jobcentre. This was part of the DWP’s plan to make its Jobcentre service more efficient. A lot of sites had been underutilised because so many people now choose to make their claim for universal credit or Jobseeker’s Allowance. As such, the DWP believed it is better to have a smaller number of centres but to improve the quality of the employment support that claimants will receive when they do go into the centre.

With the Hornchurch team now fully integrated with the Romford team, my team and I visited them to discuss the move, progress in rolling out Universal Credit, employment of the over-fifties and how to connect jobseekers with local businesses. We also talked about disability employment and the dedicated work of job coaches to get people back into the workplace. It was a fascinating visit and we hope that in building a personal connection with the team there, we will be able to resolve any cases brought to our attention more quickly.