A new, temporary Jobcentre is to pop up in Southend High Street in an effort to help people hit by the pandemic back to work.

The Department for Work and Pensions will transform an empty site at 107 High Street, at the junction of Clifftown Road, as the town looks to bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Echo: The store at 107, High StreetThe store at 107, High Street

In a letter to James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, the DWP said it had seen increased demand for its services and expects that demand to continue to rise. In response, additional work coaches have been recruited to staff the pop-up Jobcentre which will help support and deliver a full range of services needed for those impacted by Covid-19. The site is expected to open in April.

Mr Duddridge said: “As we begin our recovery from Covid-19, it is really important we use all the tools at our disposal to help those whose jobs have been impacted by the pandemic get back into work.

“This temporary Jobcentre is being set up in a Covid secure way and will be able to support local people through that process, and I look forward to seeing the site up and running in the Spring.”

Dave Cope, Essex DWP service leader, added: “Getting into good work is life-changing for our customers, we’ve doubled our frontline workforce in Essex to make that happen, and we see the expansion of our service to our new site as key to working with the local community in Southend to get the economy moving.”