Monmouth's fight to get its Jobcentre re-opened has taken the lead slot on I.T.N.'s national news bulletin.

A camera crew recorded interviews with jobseekers and their families outside the Market Hall which, until early 2007, used to house the town's Jobcentre.

The previous week, six Town Councillors had delivered a petition calling for National Assembly support to return a Jobcentre facility to Monmouth. This had coincided with the 501st Jobcentre closure by the UK Government.

Monmouth and Feltham (in West London) Jobcentres shared the un-enviable spotlight that day.

Ms Wendy Kirton and Mr Andrew Hickin described the wasted time, the unfair expense and the frustration of the compulsory 35 mile round trip every fortnight.

Far from being helped, the ever increasing number of Monmouth jobseekers are being put at a disadvantage. Meanwhile, the UK government has seen sense and reprieved the jobcentre in Chepstow.

The petition of more than 500 signatures was considered this week by the Assembly's cross-party Petitions Committee, together with the evidence collated by the Town Council from angry local jobseekers about the problems caused by the Jobcentre's removal.

"We hope that the Assembly will back us in persuading Jobcentreplus to reopen an interview room in Monmouth even one day a week" said Anthea Dewhurst, chairman of the Community Affairs Committee.

"This has been on offer from MCC's One Stop Shop ever since our Jobcentre was shut down".

The Beacon has been contacted by a local grandmother, who gave her own experience of the implications of the closure of the Jobcentre.

"I have had some personal experience of the poor service when I took my granddaughter (19) by car to the Abergavenny job centre for a pre-arranged appointment to see if she could find a job.

"When we arrived and she presented herself to the Centre, she was told they were too busy and would have to come back again.

"If the Centre had been in Monmouth, she could have walked there and back, but a round trip of 24 miles wasted my time and hers and reduced her to tears as she felt so rejected.

"Looking for a job is difficult enough without being told that they were too busy to keep an appointment made a few days ago" she added.

"I would rather my tax be invested in the youth of today, ratherthan go to our MPs, who seem to want to misuse and waste it."

The Petition presented at the Welsh Assembly said: We, the undersigned urge the Welsh Assembly Government to investigate how to to provide support and effective information to people in Wales, who are looking for employment, training or trying to initiate a business, locally.

Since February 2007, when our Jobcentre was closed, Monmouth jobseekers have had to travel to Abergavenny, a round trip of 35 miles for their compulsory fortnightly registration.

In this extremely difficult economic climate, unemployed people in Monmouth are being put at a humiliating, time consuming and expensive disadvantage to the surrounding area.

Before the Jobcentre was closed and ever since, Jobcentreplus have brushed- off the once-a-week, serviced-office premises offered by Monmouth County Council.

We enclose the evidence collated from press requests for jobseekers to contact Monmouth Town Council to record their difficulties, caused by the removal of their local Jobcentre.

The Town Council Community Affairs Committee urge that Jobcentre facilities be made available one day a week in Monmouth. (see Letters )