THE fight to save Newport passport office continues, with thousands of people still sending in their support.

When the Identify and Passport Service announced its plan to close the Newport office, the Argus launched a campaign to save the 300 jobs and the only passport office in Wales.

Since then, workers, politicians, traders, businessmen, sportsmen and women and people who use the office have come out and joined the fight.

Newport East AM John Griffiths, Newport West AM Rosemary Butler and Newport MPs Paul Flynn and Jess Morden have joined in calls for the IPS to reconsider their proposal.

In November, the Argus handed in a 24,000 signature petition to 10 Downing Street, showing the strength of feeling for the cause.

But the support of Gwent people did not stop there.

Over the last few weeks, another 3,034 signatures have been sent in from people throughout Wales, which will now be sent on to the government.

Just last week the Argus reported how Ben Rapier, branch organiser for the Public and Commercial Services union, said the ongoing consultation on the passport office closure cast an “unwelcome shadow” over Christmas for the workers and made a plea to Immigration minister Damian Green to keep jobs in the city.

At the moment, the government is carrying out an economic impact assessment on the areas of the six UK passport offices, but is refusing to say whether the results will have any effect on the decision to close the Newport office.

The work will feed into a national study by the Identity and Passport Service into what the economic impact would be if any of the regional passport offices were shut.

A spokesman for IPS said a full impact assessment is being completed and the final version will be published following the end of the formal consultation.

The formal consultation on closing the offices ends on January 16.

  • If you have any outstanding passport office petitions, please send them in to Laura Doel, South Wales Argus, Cardiff Road, Maesglas, Newport, NP20 3QN.