THE controversial plan to close half of Glasgow’s Jobcentres is being heard at both Holyrood and Westminster parliaments today.

As opposition grows to the proposal which would see seven centres shut in the city and Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, politicians and campaigners with be making their views known to the Department for Work and Pensions.

At Westminster the Scottish Affairs Committee is taking evidence on the impact the closures will have.

Damian Hinds, the Employment Minister, who has refused to come to Glasgow to meet the people who will be affected will appear before the MPs and attempt to explain why the government wants to shut 50% in Glasgow but only 20% across the UK.

He has been officially invited by the city’s seven MPs and verbally invited personally by a number of of them in debates.

The Evening Times also invited Mr Hinds to come to the city to understand the strength of feeling and hear first hand the impact closures will have, but he is yet to respond.

He aslo did not respond to requests for an interview on the proposals.

Representatives from the Church of Scotland, Citizens Advice Bureau from Bridgeton, the Poverty Alliance and The PCS union, which represents staff will also outline their concerns to MPs.

Glasgow South SNP MP, Stewart McDonald, who has been campaigning to prevent the closure of two Jobcentres in his constituency, Castlemilk and Langside will also speak against the proposal.

At Holyrood MSPs will debate a Scottish Government motion on the closures.

The motion calls on the DWP to halt the closures, and the subsequent sites across Scotland to allow the Scottish Government to bring forward substantive co-location proposals to save these jobcentres.