Five years ago, there was an air of optimism about the prospect of civil service jobs in Dundee, as part of a promise to decentralise the public sector in Scotland.
But, in the wake of the announcement that the Dundee HMRC centres will close, taking away 130 jobs from the city, the outlook is much bleaker.
In 2010, councillors and MPs across parties were campaigning to bring more civil service jobs to Dundee, following a 2009 report from the council’s city development department highlighting the lack of decentralisation of public services.
Political figures, organisations and employees alike have now queued up to bemoan this latest blow as the latest in a long line of disappointments when it comes to jobs like these.
Leader of Dundee City Council, Ken Guild, said that the decision was “a blow for the city”.
He added: “I think that it’s totally disappointing especially given that we have been trying to get more government jobs into Dundee.”
Former economic development convenor and one-time Lord Provost John Letford said: “It was a situation that promised so much, and has never materialised.
“There is so much good happening in the city and this sets everything back. When I hear words like ‘modernisation’ these days, I just hear a loss of jobs, and it is absolutely disgraceful.
“Modernisation and moving forward should not come at the expense of people’s living. We went from a position of promise from a lot of politicians to a stagnant period, and now we are actually losing jobs rather than gaining them.
“This cannot be used as a political positioning tool, and there needs to be real action from politicians to stop this.”
Councillor Fraser Macpherson, who had led calls for the 2009 report to be put together and played a significant role in the subsequent drive for these jobs, said things had taken a step backwards.
He said: “We have to hope HMRC will reconsider. It goes against principles that the UK and Scottish governments laid out about decentralising civil services.
“They have both been as bad as one another. The Scottish Government promised job creation within the sector and their record is poor.
“There was a lot of noise from MPs across parties several years ago, when the SNP were in opposition and Labour were in power at Westminster, for civil service jobs to be brought to the area, but this has not been delivered and all parties must share the burden.
“There now needs to be a sustained effort across parties to save these jobs and ensure that the promised decentralisation of the civil service happens.”
Along with the inevitable toll this decision will make on the lives employees, there is also concern that the wider public will suffer.
Earlier this month, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee called on HMRC to set out plans to provide an acceptable standard of service.
In the first half of 2015, HMRC answered only 50% of the calls received by its contact centres.
Mary Kinninmonth, manager of the Dundee branch of Citizens Advice Scotland, said: “There are some fundamental inefficiencies in the HMRC service at the moment.
“Further staff cuts will only serve to worsen this. It isn’t an improvement at all, and I cannot understand the reasoning behind it. Resources are already stretched and it is the people of Dundee, an area with a lot of deprivation, who will suffer the most.”