CIRENCESTER’S Jobcentre Plus office will be relocating to Cotswold District Council’s (CDC) Trinity Road headquarters site from Monday (May 9).

The co-location is expected to allow both organisations to provide of a more joined up face-to-face service for customers, while saving on overheads and therefore reducing costs to the taxpayer. 

The move coincides with the government’s programme of welfare reform and service transformation and will further support the delivery of Universal Credit which went live in Cotswold district from May last year.

All the staff who currently work at the Cirencester Jobcentre will re-locate to Trinity Road and will continue to deliver the same range of services.

When the new site opens the existing Jobcentre in Southway, Cirencester will close.

Nick Browning, Jobcentre Plus district manager, said: “The relocation of our Jobcentre to the (CDC) offices in Cirencester presents us with an exciting opportunity to work alongside a key local partner in delivering improved services to people in the area, and will support the future delivery of Universal Credit to Cotswold customers.”

Cllr Lynden Stowe, CDC leader, said: “We have been working jointly with DWP on this co-location project for some time and I am delighted that the site is now ready to open.

“As well as enabling co-located service delivery in Cirencester for the first time, all taxpayers should be pleased to hear that we will be making best use of excess office accommodation at Trinity Road and reducing both our running costs.”