THE axe falls on Huddersfield’s tax office and its workers this week.

Only a handful of workers will remain at HM Revenue and Customs’ administrative branch at Crown House, South-gate, from Friday.

About 90 people worked at the office as recently as 2006.

But the Government is closing Crown House, as well as centres in Halifax, Shipley, Keighley and Skipton, in a streamlining exercise.

A skeleton staff of 20 will remain at Crown House after Friday.

Others will be shipped to Bradford, where services are being centralised.

Several staff have already resigned or taken early retirement.

The Public and Commercial Services Union said the future of the 20 workers who will still be there was uncertain but their jobs could be at risk.

Trudy Bates, president of the union’s Bradford and district branch – which covers Huddersfield – said: “It doesn’t make sense.

“Many members will now walk past the open tax office on their way to work in Bradford while their colleagues continue to work in the local office.

“The closure of offices nationally will mean hundreds of skilled jobs are lost from local communities all over the country.

“We should not forget that this is against a backdrop of an uncertain financial climate and potential job cuts across Yorkshire.”

Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman said he had campaigned against the closures. He added that Huddersfield was being short-changed when the Government handed out jobs.

He said: “A lot of employees who have worked there a long time are being asked to move to Bradford.

“I don’t think we get a fair share of the cake in terms of Government jobs.

“Too many of these things automatically go to Leeds or one of the other big cities so far to work.

“I’m going to continue to press Government agencies to being more jobs here.”

A spokesman for Revenue and Customs said customers would not notice the difference because a public inquiry centre would be kept in Huddersfield.

Its location has yet to be decided.

He added: “We are reviewing all our accommodation throughout the UK with the aim of creating a more effective and efficient department, following the merger in 2005 of Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise.

“The merger left us with too much office space for our business needs.

“Every person currently working in our Huddersfield office will be meeting their manager in order to discuss a range of options.

“It is anticipated that we will vacate Crown House by spring 2010.”