Strangford Short Changed Says Hamilton

These plans will now not be completed according to correspondence from the SSA and DEL explained Mr Hamilton. [caption id="attachment_20140" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Strangford MLA Simon Hamilton has condemned the decision not to go ahead with state-of-the-art employment offices in Ballynahinch and Newtownards. "][/caption] Condemning the decision, Simon Hamilton said, “This is a shameful decision by the Social Security Agency and Department for Employment and Learning.xa0 After building up expectations that both Ballynahinch and Newtownards would be attaining flagship Jobs and Benefits Office’s, the people of these two Strangford towns will instead be short changed as they will be two of only eight towns not to benefit from this project. “27 others have already had combined Jobs and Benefits Offices delivered but there will be no such joy in Strangford.xa0 It is a disgrace that the only xa0two Jobs and Benefits Office schemes planned for the Strangford constituency have both been shelved. “The SSA and DEL have dilly-dallied for years over delivering these Jobs and Benefits Offices in Newtownards and Ballynahinch to the point where they have delayed so long that budgetary constraints make it impossible to complete the projects. “Instead of local people availing of employment and social security advice and assistance from state-of-the-art premises, they will have to make do with out-moded and out-of-date facilities.xa0 In Newtownards, people will have to access jobs and benefits support from two separate sites, running contrary to the whole principle behind the project. “In Ballynahinch, the current office on the Crossgar Road is far from ideal.xa0 A new Jobs and Benefits Office was an opportunity to source alternative locations where parking and access issues could have been alleviated.xa0 I am certain that the staff will be as professional as ever but they will have to continue working in offices that have been acceptable as not what is required while customers will also have to deal with various inadequacies. “The SSA and DEL have though promised that they will – where possible – deliver the remaining projects on a case by case basis.xa0 I will continue to make the case for Newtownards and Ballynahinch as strongly as I can at Stormont”.]]>