DWP staff back strike action to keep office open

Union says Lincoln closure plans have put more than 100 jobs at risk of redundancy
Lincoln City Hall, where DWP's closure-threatened service centre is based Image: Google Maps

By Jim Dunton

13 Oct 2025

Members of the PCS union who work at the Department for Work and Pensions’ Lincoln Service and Support Centre have voted in favour of strike action to oppose the closure of their office.  

Plans to shut the office – which is based at Lincoln City Hall – emerged in June. At the time, PCS said the proposals placed 128 jobs at risk of redundancy, with little potential for staff to transfer to other offices because the nearest similar DWP outpost is 40 miles away. 

A ballot of PCS members at the Lincoln office, which ran from 25 September to Friday last week, found 86% of respondents were in favour of strike action, based on a 61% turnout. 

Angela Grant, the union’s group president for DWP, said the result showed that staff were not prepared to accept the closure of their workplace without a fight.  

“DWP really needs to get round the table with PCS to discuss alternatives to the closure of the Lincoln office, and the broader issue of office closures across the DWP estate,” she said. 

“Lincoln may well be the tip of the iceberg as DWP presses ahead with a flawed and out-of-date estates strategy that could see more offices closed, and thousands of people losing their livelihoods, with local economies also impacted by those job losses.” 

When the plans to close the office in May next year were first announced, PCS said staff had been told that the decision was part of the department’s 10-year-old strategy to “transition away” from smaller sites in favour of having fewer – but larger – bases for 300 or more staff. The union said proposed welfare reforms were likely to mean DWP needed more staff and offices. 

A DWP spokesperson said the decision to close Lincoln Service Centre had been taken “following careful consideration”.  

“This decision will have no impact on Lincoln Jobcentre, which remains fully operational, nor on the vital services we deliver to customers,” they said. 

“Our absolute priority is supporting all affected staff through this transition, with redeployment opportunities wherever possible.” 

PCS has yet to detail dates for industrial action at Lincoln.

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