NEWPORT could become the latest council to oppose plans to relocate Department for Work and Pension (DWP) staff out of the area.

The UK Government announced in May that it would close five offices in South Wales and transfer 1,700 employees to a new facility in Treforest – including 365 staff from Newport.

A motion calling for talks between Westminster and the union representing the employees, Public and Commercial Services (PCS), will be delivered to Newport City Council on July 24.

The council’s leader, Debbie Wilcox, says: “Although it is recognised that the DWP, like local government, are seeking to make changes to their operations in response to the ever-increasing pressures placed on them from austerity measures, we are concerned with the decision to relocate jobs out of Newport city centre and the implications the move will have on future sustainability.

“It will also have a negative impact on current Newport-based staff, who will be unable to travel for a variety of reasons to the new fairly distant location with unconnected public transport routes, thus putting job security at real risk.”

The proposed transfer of DWP staff from Newport’s Charles Street branch is the second highest behind the 714 employees from the Gabalfa centre in Cardiff.

Staff from other regional centres facing the move including 225 from Caerphilly, 262 in Merthyr and 171 from Cwmbran.

Following the announcement, PCS claimed that the proposals would put staff at risk of redundancy and have a negative impact on the affected communities.

The DWP say that 600 members of staff will be outside the reasonably mobility to make the daily commute.

Alun Cairns, secretary of state for Wales, had previously said that the move to a bespoke facility would provide an economic boost for Treforest and neighbouring areas.

Cllr Wilcox’s motion, should it pass at full council, would follow a similar motion tabled by the leader of Caerphilly County Borough council, Dave Poole, last month.