HALF of Glasgow’s jobcentres could be shut down to save cash, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced yesterday.

The department said that although no jobs would be lost as a result, eight of the city’s 16 branches face closure by April 2018 in an effort to cut costs.

However the proposal raised a storm of protest from Scottish politicians and Civil Service union leaders who said it would leave some of the city’s most impoverished districts abandoned.

Glasgow has been dubbed the “unemployment capital of the UK,” with one third of its working-age population classed as “economically inactive” this year.

The work of the offices which face closure will be transferred to the remaining eight.

Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union national officer Lynn Henderson said: “No-one should be in any doubt that these proposals will have a devastating impact on the worst socio-economic areas in the city of Glasgow.

“Our very clear view is that DWP needs to pause on these proposals and subject them to both parliamentary and public scrutiny.”

SNP spokesman for trade unions Chris Stephens called the decision “simply morally outrageous.”

The MP said: “It will result in the poorest communities not being serviced by a jobcentre and make it even harder for those seeking employment to get support.

“Thousands of people will now have to travel further at additional cost to attend their appointments.

“These plans make Glasgow the guinea pig as I fear the closures announced will be used as a template for further closures across Scotland and the UK.”

The DWP said no jobs will be lost and Jobcentre Plus offices in Govan, Drumchapel and Laurieston will remain open.

A DWP spokeswoman said: “It is simply nonsense to suggest Glasgow is a testing ground.

“The city is in a unique position within the Jobcentre Plus estate as it has a greater density of smaller offices compared to other large towns and cities in Scotland.”