A Job Centre rolled out in a shopping precinct to help combat soaring unemployment during the pandemic is the latest to shut down.

The site in Ashford’s County Square recently swung shut its doors alongside a raft of other “temporary addition” spots in the country.

Having opened in July 2021, the Job Centre Plus in the old River Island store closed on December 15, with those needing its services redirected to the town’s permanent site.

It comes after Department for Work and Pensions bosses decided the provisional site, one of more than a hundred opened across the country, was no longer needed.

The new sites were designed to give jobseekers more access to support and opportunities, accommodate extra demand on services, and help facilitate social distancing.

A sign in the window of the Ashford County Square premises says: “From Friday, December 15, this job centre is permanently closed.”

It goes on to say all appointments and enquiries will be held at International House in Dover Place, where the permanent Job Centre is.

It was one of seven to open in Kent with others including Bexleyheath and Ramsgate which closed last year, Canterbury, Chatham, Maidstone and Sittingbourne.

In November 2023, Parliament announced the fifth and latest phase, which consists of decommissioning a further 25 temporary sites— or additional space in existing job centres.

This latest phase would bring the total number of temporary sites announced to date to 139 with more to follow this year.

A spokesperson said at the time: “The decommissioning of temporary job centres will not reduce the levels of service, or access to face-to-face appointments. Customers will return to being served by an established Job Centre and there will be no reduction in the number of work coaches supporting customers as a result of the decommissioning.

A spokesperson for County Square confirmed there was an upcoming lease break date in the site’s contract.

“We’ll be looking at options and of course re-marketing the unit in due course,” they added.