TALKS on the closure of the Newport passport office should be extended so two reports into its effect on employees and workers can be taken into account.

That’s according to a union official who says two studies, one of which looks at the economic impact of the closure, will not report back until after the consultation ends.

The Identity and Passport Service is currently in talks with the Public and Commercial Services union, which represents workers at the site, over the planned closure.

The Argus is among many across Wales opposed to the plan, which we say will put 300 people out of work in an area badly hit by the economic crisis.

Anne-Louise McKeon-Williams, PCS branch secretary, said neither the IPS’ economic impact assessment nor its equality impact study will be ready before the end of the consultation on January 18.

The latter study will look at how the closure will effect female employees, people with disabilities or people from black or minority ethnic backgrounds.

“If there’s a detrimental impact compared to other groups then that’s a problem,” she said.

It is not expected until the end of January at the earliest while the economic impact assessment may not arrive before February.

Because of this and other factors the union would need another six weeks, said the branch secretary, adding that IPS has so far refused her requests for the extension to take place.

Newport Council and Newport Unlimited are also working with IPS on their own economic study.

A spokesman for IPS said it is currently considering whether it is appropriate to extend the consultation period and it will be making a decision next week.

  • In November the Argus handed in a petition of 24,000 to 10 Downing Street, calling for the passport office to be saved. Since then, another 3,000 signatures have been handed in to us.

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Consultation needs time

IT SEEMS logical to us that the consultation process on the proposal to close Newport Passport Office should be kept open until all relevant documentation is available.

And surely the outstanding economic impact and disability and equality assessments form a vital part of that process.

As we have said before it seems sensible to us for this information to be considered before any decision is made. And if that means the process must be extended until the reports are available then so be it.

If not, then the Home Office will quite rightly be accused of presiding over a flawed consultation process.

If the decision is then to close the only passport office in Wales without the economic impact assessment being taken into account, then the consultation process will have been a sham.

Throughout our campaign we have argued there is no logical reason to close the city's passport office and we still stand by that view.

All the evidence points to the closure having a huge impact on Newport city centre with the loss of 300 passport office jobs expected to lead to a further 200 job losses in the city because of the knock-on effect.

We fully understand that the government cuts will impact all areas, but we cannot see why in the case of the passport service the pain cannot be shared evenly, and in our view less sharply, across the country.

Given the potentially devastating consequences of the decision it is only fair that the Home Office is prepared to extend the consultation process in this instance.