Farron wins reprieve for local tax office

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 12th May 2009

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed the news that the HM Revenue and Customs Office (HMRC) in Kendal tax is to be kept open for at least another year after Mr Farron won a reprieve for the local tax officer following a meeting with Treasury Minister Stephen Timms MP.

During the meeting, Mr Farron stressed how the threat of closure had demoralised staff; but also reiterated the importance of the office as a source of knowledge for local businesses and called on the Minister to abandon plans to close the office.

Commenting Mr Farron said:

"The meeting was very positive-the minister was receptive to our case and has now agreed to keep the Kendal HMRC office open for at least another year.

"This is welcome news, but for the 30 or so staff members at Kendal tax office there is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding their future. Many small business owners get fantastic advice from the excellent staff at the HMRC, which will be even more necessary as businesses struggle during the recession.

"I'm delighted that we've managed to keep Kendal tax office open for another year. Now our campaign should move on to the next step and convince the Treasury to completely abandon their plans to close the office."