Property: Halifax to cut jobs

STAFF at the Halifax estate agency in Shaw are waiting to hear if the branch is one of 53 closures announced on Friday.

The Halifax has blamed the move on the downturn in the housing market.

It will lead to up to 100 job cuts, although the group said the majority of staff — mainly mortgage advisers — would be transferred to similar roles in its banks.

The Halifax said it hopes to achieve the losses through voluntary redundancy or natural wastage, and added that it would concentrate on its core markets in the Midlands and the North, where it has 151 branches.

Recent figures from the National Association of Estate Agents showed member offices sold an average of six properties each during July.