Less than two weeks after being forced into selling off Abingdon most prized asset, the Old Gaol, The Vale of White Horse District Council has been forced to sell off its flagship Revenue and benefits service with the loss of 38 staff. The Liberal Democrats are desperately trying to fill a black hole in the finances of the Vale and have been forced to privatise it service that was once rated the best in the country.The Council submitted it's own in-house tender for the contract but failed to reach the final round of tenders. Staff were told that the in-house bid had failed almost a week ago and that they would cease to be employed by the council in less than a year's time.Leader of the Conservative Group Cllr Melinda Tilley said she was "deeply shocked" that the in-house bid hadn't reached the final stage. This is a disaster for Vale staff who will be transferred to a private company and expected to re-locate to sights all over the country, the knock on effect being many staff will be unable to re-locate and will become unemployed."Conservative Councillor Matthew Barber added "This is a massive blow for staff at the Vale who have constantly been treat appallingly by the Liberal Democrat administration, there were widespread management redundancies earlier in the year and now the flagship service of the council has been axed. Many disadvantaged people will no longer have the face to face service at the Council offices as this service is now likely to be shipped all round the United Kingdom"The Councils main trade union Unison also voiced their concerns with Branch Secretary Karen Tolley saying "The Union is very disappointed at the news especially following the overall restructuring debate. This will be a big blow for staff before Christmas and will lower morale even more. Staff have worked hard to maintain an excellent level of service and were surprised that their in house bid was rejected."