COUNCILLORS are writing to Government ministers to demand a Sheffield JobCentre is saved from closure.
The Department for Work and Pensions is threatening to axe Chapeltown JobCentre Plus, based at Chambers Court.
The CPS union is battling to save it and handed in a petition signed by 1,500 local residents to a Town Hall meeting.
Steve Lloyd, br
anch secretary of the CPS union, said the Chapeltown centre was unique as it shared premises with the council's First Point.
He said: "JobCentre Plus management claim they have not made a decision but we feel they have a clear intention to close the office.
"This JobCentre serves a large part of the north of Sheffield and covers Rotherham and Barnsley.
"There are 400 people signing on there as unemployed and it also has weekly and fortnightly signing on for benefits, job searches and a New Deal advisor.
"It shares premises with First Point so it offers a range of services and simplifies access to benefits.
"This kind of service is unique in Sheffield and rare nationally and I'm not aware of any other JobCentre that shares premises in this way. It should be preserved and built upon rather than closed."
If the centre closes, the union says unemployed people will have to travel to Rotherham, Barnsley or Hillsborough JobCentres and pay for the travel expenses themselves.
Local councillor Graham Oxley, who is also Deputy Mayor, said the centre was in a key area as a new business park is due to open at Smithy Wood and employers would be using the JobCentre to find staff.
He added: "The council needs to act swiftly as this is a vital facility and it will cause difficulty and stress to vulnerable people using the service if it closes.
"How can anyone on benefits afford to travel to other centres at a cost of £4 or £5 to sign on?
"To close Chapeltown JobCentre would also damage local shops as people who use it often call into the post office and shops."
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