Archway Tower to become vacant by March?

Controversial plans to relocate the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) from the Archway Tower on Junction Road to Birmingham look set to go ahead, with the office moving by the end of March. 177 OPG employees will either have to move or apply for voluntary redundancy by 24 March.

The Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents civil servants and government agency workers, expects around sixty employees to take redundancy and another twenty to move to Birmingham. A further ten are hoping to commute between London and Birmingham once the office is moved.

The PCS has long been opposed to the move, saying "The employer claims the move will save money but it will cost around £22

million and it is likely fees will go up to offset the cost." Staff moving to Birmigham have been offred £8,000 to help with relocation costs.

The Office of the Public Guardian manages lasting power of attorney for representatives of those who lack the mental capacity to run their own financial affairs. The PCS had wanted the government to look into alternatives including moving the OPG to another Ministry of Justice building. The

Court of Protection, also currently located in Archway Tower, is due to

relocate its 120 staff to the Royal Court of Justice on the Strand.

Local businesses have expressed concern that the vacation of the tower could leave them with much less regular trade. Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn has also spoken out against the move, and unions are conerned that the cost of the "money saving" exercise, estimated at £22 million, will be passed on to vulnerable service users.

Archway's much-maligned seven-storey tower, refurbished a few years ago, could stand empty once the civil servants have left. Secretary of State for Justice Kenneth Clarke confirmed in a written Parliamentary answer that "The Ministry of Justice intends to vacate Archway Tower by the lease break date of 24 March 2012 as part of the work to rationalise its administrative estate."