Closure of Chesterfield Covid Jobcentre to leave empty space in town centre

The Jobcentre was one of 80 nationwide which opened in the summer of 2021 to help workers hit by changes in the labour market around periods of lockdown, and to allow more space for safe face-to-face appointments.

Occupying the former Argos premises on the corner of Steeplegate and Church Lane, the facility was conceived as a temporary addition to the Jobcentre estate, adding to the long-established site on Markham Road.

A DWP spokesperson said: “We no longer need the temporary space we acquired during the pandemic to accommodate social distancing.

“To continue providing our essential employment support and other services in a way that is cost efficient for the taxpayer, we are phasing out these temporarily leased sites and staff and all customer services will return to the nearby established Jobcentre.”

While several of the temporary Jobcentres are to be made permanent, the Chesterfield one is among more than 50 to have been decommissioned so far, with the remainder set to follow in 2024.

The department did not confirm its timeline for closing the Steeplegate centre, but said it would not entail further changes to local services.

The spokesperson said: “The closing of these temporary sites will not reduce our levels of service, or access to face-to-face appointments. Customers will return to being served by their established Jobcentre and there will be no reduction in the number of work coaches serving customers as a result.”

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.