A consultation by HM Revenue and Customs on proposals to streamline services and withdraw a number of tax offices across the South-East, including Aylesbury's, finished on Wednesday.

The department says that public enquiry centres will be retained, and other employees moved to offices in nearby towns, so that no jobs will be lost.

But Lorna Merry, trade union rep for the Public and Commercial Services Union, said many of Aylesbury's 76 staff in Kingfisher House would not be able to travel to other towns.

"We believe redundancies will be likely because an awful lot of staff are part-timers who have responsbilities for young children, and there are also a number with disabilities, so it wont be easy for them to go elsewhere," she said.

She added: "Milton Keynes, Oxford, and Watford are all places they could go to, but they are not particularly easy to get to from Aylesbury."

A formal announcement on the proposals will be announced in the summer.