A PUBLIC sector union has joined the fight to stop the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) moving its North Yorkshire unit to Leeds.
The CPS is proposing to move prosecutors out of Athena House on Clifton Moor where they work alongside the police. The CPS employs 65 staff on the site.
Now the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, whose members fear the move could cost them their jobs, have contacted York Central MP Hugh Bayley, who has already raised the issue twice in the House of Commons. The CPS has promised there will be no compulsory redundancies.
Mr Bayley said: “The staff at Athena House have real concerns about their jobs if the body moves to Leeds. For many people commuting to Leeds every day is not an option and some could be forced to leave.”
The Attorney General Dominic Grieves and the CPS have said the move would not adversely affect prosecutions in North Yorkshire, but Mr Bayley said savings made by the closure would soon be outweighed by extra costs through court delays.
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