AXA Insurance may move 150 jobs from Kent to Birmingham as it tries to reduce costs in its motor customer operations.

The company is consulting with unions about relocating around half of the staff from its Century Place office in Tunbridge Wells, where it employs 296 people.

It has three offices in the town but another 2,185 staff at its two AXA PPP sites – at International House in Forest Road and Phillips House in Crescent Road – are unaffected by the proposals.

The move is understood to be a reaction to a high turnover of staff in the area, with fears this could impact the service of customers.

Salaries are also more competitive in Birmingham, with less scope for workers to move elsewhere in the industry for more money.

The consultation comes shortly after AXA revealed net income for the year to September 30 fell 13% to £883 million.

“Unite has pressed AXA to ensure all impacted staff in Tunbridge Wells are offered alternative local employment within the AXA group and compulsory redundancies are avoided..." - Dominic Hook, Unite

A spokesman for the company said: “AXA Insurance is consulting with the union on behalf of its employee’s located in the Tunbridge Wells Century Place office on a proposal to consolidate all direct motor customer operations teams in its existing operation in Birmingham.

“There is a large, existing and well-established motor claims operation in Birmingham and it is proposed that consolidating these teams in one site will ensure that AXA is able to deliver a more consistent service to its customers.

“If adopted, this change would impact around 150 employees. It would not affect the other teams based in the same office nor employees of AXA’s healthcare business in Tunbridge Wells.”

The company also has an AXA Insurance office in Tonbridge but this is not affected.

Dominic Hook, national officer from Unite, the union representing staff, said: “Unite has pressed AXA to ensure all impacted staff in Tunbridge Wells are offered alternative local employment within the AXA group and compulsory redundancies are avoided.

“The union will be working to support our members at the affected site over the coming days and weeks.”