A plan to close 20 job centres, including one in Swindon, has been announced that will alter where some jobseekers report to.

Swindon’s temporary job centre on Canal Walk opened in August 2021, to help people abide by social distancing following the pandemic.

But this site is one of 20 temporary centres that the Department for Work and Pensions have announced will close by March, as services are phased back into established centres like the one on Princes Street.

The DWP have assured customers this will not affect the service they receive or access to face-to-face appointments.

A spokesperson said: “We no longer need the space we acquired during the pandemic to accommodate social distancing.

“To continue providing essential employment support and other services in a way that is cost efficient for the taxpayer, we are phasing out these temporarily leased sites and staff and all customer services will return to the nearby established jobcentre.

“The closing of these temporary sites will not reduce our levels of service, or access to face-to-face appointments. Customers will return to being served by their established Jobcentre and there will be no reduction in the number of Work Coaches serving customers as a result.”

GMB Union claim the scheme will put 50 jobs at risk. The DWP deny any workers will be made redundant.