A job centre in Southend is set to close in the coming months, as 36 are axed across the country. 

The High Street job centre, which was set up in the wake of the pandemic, will shut its doors.  

It comes as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to axe a further 36 sites.

The pop up centre was set up to support and deliver a full range of services needed for those impacted by Covid-19.

The JobCentre in Tylers Avenue will remain open. 

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.

“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.”

A set closure date for the 36 centres has not been announced.

In May 2023, a further 19 Jobcentres were axed by the DWP.

Meanwhile, back in 2022, 10 ‘poorer quality’ sites were shut.

Others were merged to still assist those that use the service.