A trade union is warning that plans to close seven tax offices across Kent may lead to job losses.

The Government announced recently that it was shutting 25 HM Revenue and Customs offices in the south east, seven of them in the county.

Those slated for closure include Crown Buildings, Wellesley Road, Ashford; Stephenson House, The Grove, Gravesend; Concorde House, London Road, Maidstone; Capital House, Northdown Road, Margate; Douglas House, Quarry Hill Road, Tonbridge; Longford House, Mount Ephraim Road, Tunbridge Wells ; and Union House, Eridge Road, Tunbridge Wells.

The closures are part of a national programme, with some 385 staff across Kent affected by the decision.

HMRC says it aims to relocate staff to offices staying open, with the moves starting next Spring.

But the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is concerned that not all staff will be able to move for a variety of reasons. It also claims that office closures will make it harder for individuals and advisers to visit offices for expert help.

PCS spokesman Alex Flynn said the union was aiming to mount a public campaign against the closures at a local level. It was also working with politicians, accountants and tax experts to put pressure on the Government to reverse the decision.

"There won’t be enough jobs to go round," he said. "The department is looking at cutting 25,000 jobs by 2011.

"There is massive concern because it will also mean that staff will take valuable skills with them and tax affairs are complicated. We’d like to see all the tax offices remaining open so they can continue to offer a service to the public."

HMRC claims the programme will save an estimated £9 million "which will assist HMRC improve customer service and provide better value for money for the public purse."

It said the decisions, which follows the merger of the former Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise in 2005, were made after consultation with staff, trade unions and other stakeholders.

In a written ministerial statement, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury Jane Kennedy, said: "These decisions are the latest to emerge from a nationwide series of reviews started in 2006 and designed to create the future shape of the Department.

"These have not been easy decisions. However, the overriding consideration has to be the Department’s need to address new and challenging customer demands by restructuring its business and estate in the most effective and efficient way possible."