12/11/2015 BBC Wales Today

700 jobs affected - all tax offices are to close with

staff expected to transfer to new centres in Cardiff and Liverpool.

And the plan to boost the economy across South East Wales.

Welsh ministers pledge over half a billion pounds and ask

A massive shake-up of tax offices has been announced in Wales, which

Offices in Swansea, Wrexham and Porthmadog are to close

with a new regional office to be based in Cardiff.

But HMRC says the overall result could be more jobs created here.

There has been a mixed reaction to today's message from the taxman.

A re-organisation which will bring efficiencies to

A devastating cut which will hit staff and communities.

Two very different views of today's announcement.

But whichever way you look at it now, tax workers face

It will all be worthwhile, says the HMRC.

The net increase is up to 3800, a really big increase

Nothing will happen overnight, but the phased changes over the next

four to six years continue a trend which started almost a decade ago.

Since then a network of High Street Tax offices has steadily contracted.

Now we are left with Merthyr, where the closure had already been

Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Porthmadog.

By 2021 all the work will be done at new regional hubs in Cardiff

Workers in Porthmadog would have to move to Cardiff if they want

to continue their work dealing with Welsh language returns.

And critics from opposition parties and the

unions point out that even if the total number of tax jobs in Wales

stays the same or even goes up, those jobs will be concentrated in

the capital weakening the economies of other parts of the country.

Losing 350 jobs is not just about the workers there, it is about the

public service those people give, the local shops and communities

where they spend money and so on, and in some communities we have

found that the closing of an office has led to

It is if you listen to the bosses at HMRC.

And today's announcement will have been cleared by ministers

But don't expect the critics to go down without a fight.

The news that those hundreds of jobs will be centralised

in Cardiff comes on the day that plans aimed at bringing jobs and

infrastructure across south-east Wales moved a step closer.

The Welsh Government says it's earmarked nearly ?600 million to get

the scheme going, but now needs the UK Treasury to do the same.

Here's our Political Editor Nick Servini.

It feels like a long way from the city, but it is one

of the areas in their heads of the valleys looking to join up with the

It is talking about a city deal here, and if you think about it,

it is a risk for a local authority leader in an area like this that at

the time of tight public finances they are prepared to put their lot

in with their neighbours, possibly at the expense of carrying

I asked the leader of the local council whether

the fear of losing out was a problem in putting the bid together.

There is a shared understanding of how it would work.

Every local authority leader is elected by his own people

and therefore we need to make sure there is fair representation,

We need to make sure there is a fair spread of projects.

The council says, for a start, new roads to open up housing

developments, and new park-and-ride schemes.

But the city deal will mean different things to different areas.

From the country to the city, the boss of this company which develops

computer games in the centre of Cardiff would like to see better

rail and bus services that would form part of the new Metro system

that is widely expected to be included

commute from the valleys, and it is not straightforward, and it is time

I think if that could be improved it would make a big difference.

All local authorities in south-east Wales have contributed

The Welsh government has pledged 580 million, and the UK Treasury has

been asked to stump up the same, starting with the Chancellor's

There is no reason why it should not be approved.

Local authorities have shown their commitment,

it is now up to the Treasury to fulfil its side of the bargain.

It is over to the Treasury to see whether it will support the plan

That is unlikely to happen before the spending review,

But the chances are still good because George Osborne thinks city

deals can raise prosperity. Emergency services are searching

for a man who was seen entering Coastguards, lifeboats

and a rescue helicopter have joined Lifeboats crews say weather

conditions are difficult because The Crown Prosecution Service say

they will not bring any criminal charges, following an explosion

which killed four workers at an oil The blast at the Chevron Refinery,

now Valero, also left another The CPS says there's insufficient

evidence to pursue a corporate manslaughter case

against the companies involved. A fund

for cancer patients will be set up in Wales, if the Conservatives win

the next Assembly Election. The party says it would spend ?16.5

million of the Health Budget on improving access to cancer drugs

and treatments. It follows debate over whether the

Welsh Government should emulate the Ministers in Cardiff Bay say the

fund would deliver a lesser service. Football, and Wales manager

Chris Coleman insists international matches should not be viewed

as an opportunity to rest players. Coleman and Arsenal boss Arsene

Wenger had a public argument last week about an injury to midfielder

Aaron Ramsey, which has ruled him Wales host the Netherlands

in a friendly tomorrow, and Coleman says all international

fixtures are important. We are not a vehicle for clubs to

think the players can come with us and have a nest because we have

probably 25 - 30,000 Welsh people on Friday night and they will not

expect our boys to dig it easy and have a nest. They will be performing

for whales and that is the endgame, as simple as that. All the build-up

to the big game on tomorrow night's programme.

The Wales Rally GB has been officially launched tonight

It's the last stage of the World Rally Championships.

70 teams from around the world will compete over 193 miles across Conwy,

Let's get the weather forecast for Wales - here's Derek.

We are under the influence of storm Abigail tonight, located to the

north-west. The worst of the storm affecting the north and north-west

of Scotland tonight and tomorrow morning. In Wales, not quite so bad

with clear spells and shattered showers. Turning colder. That sets

the scene for tomorrow with the cold and windy day and some heavy showers

moving through what he learnt under possible and some snow on the

mountain tops, but some dry weather and sunshine as well. Across the

rest of the UK, a mixture of sunshine and blustery showers with

the showers heavy in places, some snow on northern hills particularly

in the Scottish mountains. Cold everywhere with a gusty wind, eight

Celsius in Belfast and 12 in London. In Wales, these AF not windy,

feeling cold with scattered showers and some snow on the mountain tops.

Sunny spells and the temperature lower than recently. Tomorrow

evening, more heavy showers but easing overnight, becoming dry with

lighter winds for a while. On Saturday, all change again, a dry

start but it will not last and more wet and windy weather arriving. Some

headed in especially on the hills and mountains in the South West and

North West. Some of the most prolonged rainfall in north-west

Wales the weekend especially on Snowdonia and considering rivers are

already swollen, the risk of further flooding. The risk of some flooding

on the course this weekend due to high tide and strong onshore winds,

so it a lot going on and keep an eye on the forecast.

We'll be back in Breakfast from 6:25.