Government plans to close Hoylake Jobcentre will "cause chaos" for claimants and office staff, according to Wirral West MP Margaret Greenwood.

Ms Greenwood, shadow minister for employment, has already raised the issue at Westminster and will be meeting the Department for Work and Pensions district manager for Merseyside on Friday to express her concerns.

She fears that with the introduction of the new universal credit benefit system later this year, the need to retain the Hoylake centre has never been more pressing.

Ms Greenwood pointed out there have been reports of claims being shut down before they should be, of documentation provided online being lost and of conflicting information being provided to claimants.

Speaking in a debate at Westminster she said: “I am calling on the Government to see reason.

"Its plans to both close Jobcentres like Hoylake and speed up the roll-out of the universal credit full service risks chaos for both claimants and Jobcentre staff.”

"I am strongly urging the Department for Work and Pensions to shelve plans to close Hoylake Jobcentre.

“The DWP timetable for the roll-out of the full service of universal credit published in November 2016 said that it would be introduced in Jobcentres in Wirral in November 2017, with Hoylake one of those named.

“However only two months later, DWP published plans to close Hoylake merging it with one of the Jobcentres in Birkenhead."

She added: “My concern is that when combined with the transfer of claimants, the introduction of universal credit in Wirral could be unmanageable."

Hoylake is one of eight Merseyside Jobcentres earmarked for closure.

The DWP said services currently offered at the Market Street office will be moved to West Kirby Concourse.

The closures were announced in January and followed research that revealed 20% of the department’s office space was under-used.