Stamford Street tax enquiry office to close

The enquiry centre at Dorset House – which is currently open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays – will shut in May.

All 22 offices across London will shut when a new telephone-based service is introduced.

Following a seven-month trial in the north east of England, the new service will provide expert advisers to resolve issues on the phone, in-depth, in one go.

Face-to-face appointments will be available at government and community buildings or in homes and offices.

“HMRC is dedicated to providing help to customers when they need it," said Ruth Owen, HMRC’s director general for personal tax.

"The pilot showed that this is a valuable service for those who cannot get the help they need elsewhere.

“Our enquiry centres offer a great service to those who can reach them. But they are spread unevenly across the UK, the number of people using them continues to fall, and our research shows that the majority of customers who do use them don’t actually need to.

"The new service will enable us to tailor help in a way that works better and is more affordable.

“Our specialised phone service will help customers whose affairs can be resolved over the telephone, and our face-to-face help will be available to those who need it, visiting them at a place convenient to them.”

HMRC says that it is discussing the impacts of these changes with staff in enquiry centres and its unions.