Conservative MPs have turned on the Government over plans to close their local jobcentres to save money.

The Department for Work and Pensions was accused of using Google Maps to pick jobcentres to shut down by MPs angry at the plans, which were announced last week.

Unemployed people will be forced to travel further to sign on after the Department for Work and Pensions announced plans to close 78 local Jobcentres across the country.

The Government claims it needs fewer offices to cover the whole country because people tend to submit their claims for benefits online. However, unemployed claimants are still required to attend Jobcentres at least every two weeks, with the Government having trialled weekly sign-ons and even more intensive daily sign-ons.

Calder Valley’s Conservative MP Craig Whittaker said the plan was a “disaster”.

“To relocate our jobcentre uphill and downdale out of the constituency will be a disaster to those longterm unemployed that rely on it for job advice and training,” told the minister.

“Can my honourable friend assure me that those that have put forward these proposals have indeed visited places like the Calder Valley to understand the demographics and the geography or have they just sat in their offices in Whitehall using Google Maps?”

Tory DWP minister Caroline Nokes replied: “This is not an exercise using Google Maps – this is an exercise that we have engaged in over a number of months to use the best of our DWP estate.”

Other Conservative MPs hit out at the proposals. Jame Berry, MP for Rossindale and Darwen said the Government appeared to be in “La La Land”.

“It’s all very well to talk about jobcentres in London but in rural Lancashire my constituents in Edgeworth will have to travel over an hour to get to Blackburn if we close the Darwen jobcentre,” he warned.

“They are supremely hardworking and supremely successful and anyone who thinks you can get from Edgeworth to Darwen in 23 minuets is living in La La Land.”

Conservative MP Philip Davies called for the minister to “look again” at the plans and said his jobcentre in Shipley had “an excellent local rapport with the Salvation Army who are situated right next door”.

Labour and SNP MPs also criticised the policy. Labour MP Luciana Berger said all three of the jobcentres that were open in her constituency in 2010 will have closed if the plans go ahead.

DWP minister Caroline Nokes defended the closures (House of Commons)

“In 2010 I had three jobcentres in my constituency. Old Swan was closed by her department at the start of 2010 and now she wants to close the other two in Edge Hill and Wavertree,” she said.

“My constituency has the 39th highest unemployment level in our country. Why does she want to make it harder for the 2,950 people who want to access support and who will have to pay £8.80 in order to do so?”

Labour’s shadow work and pensions minister Margaret Greenwood said disabled people would be hit by the increased travel time.

The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned Show all 16 1 /16 The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "One case where the claimant’s wife went into premature labour and had to go to hospital. This caused the claimant to miss an appointment. No leeway given" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "It’s Christmas Day and you don’t fill in your job search evidence form to show that you’ve looked for all the new jobs that are advertised on Christmas Day. You are sanctioned. Merry Christmas" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You apply for three jobs one week and three jobs the following Sunday and Monday. Because the job centre week starts on a Tuesday it treats this as applying for six jobs in one week and none the following week. You are sanctioned for 13 weeks for failing to apply for three jobs each week" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A London man missed his Jobcentre appointments for two weeks because he was in hospital after being hit by a car. He was sanctioned" 2011 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You’ve been unemployed for seven months and are forced onto a workfare scheme in a shop miles away, but can’t afford to travel. You offer to work in a nearer branch but are refused and get sanctioned for not attending your placement" 2013 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You are a mum of two, and are five minutes late for your job centre appointment. You show the advisor the clock on your phone, which is running late. You are sanctioned for a month" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man with heart problems who was on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) had a heart attack during a work capability assessment. He was then sanctioned for failing to complete the assessment" Rex The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man who had gotten a job that was scheduled to begin in two weeks’ time was sanctioned for not looking for work as he waited for the role to start" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Army veteran Stephen Taylor, 60, whose Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) was stopped after he sold poppies in memory of fallen soldiers" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man had to miss his regular appointment at the job centre to attend his father’s funeral. He was sanctioned even though he told DWP staff in advance" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Ceri Padley, 26, had her benefits sanctioned after she missed an appointment at the jobcentre - because she was at a job interview" Jason Doiy Photography The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man got sanctioned for missing his slot to sign on - as he was attending a work programme interview. He was then sanctioned as he could not afford to travel for his job search" 2012 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Mother-of-three Angie Godwin, 27, said her benefits were sanctioned after she applied for a role job centre staff said was beyond her" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Sofya Harrison was sanctioned for attending a job interview and moving her signing-on to another day" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Michael, 54, had his benefits sanctioned for four months for failing to undertake a week’s work experience at a charity shop. The charity shop had told him they didn’t want him there" Getty The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Terry Eaton, 58, was sanctioned because he didn’t have the bus fare he needed to attend an appointment with the job centre" Getty Images

“Accessibility is a major issue for many disabled people. The Government said it plans to halve the disability employment cap in this parliament – how do the closures fit with that aim?” she said.

“We are particularly concerned about the impact on women, children, and people with disabilities. Will the Government publish an assessment of the impact of this policy on equality issues?

“Will the Government delay its plan to reduce its estate until it has a clear idea of the impact of Universal Credit? These plans are simply not through and will have a damaging impact on the way that employment is provided.”