JOB losses are "inevitable" in a radical shake-up of the Government agency responsible for land registration across the entire region.

Bosses at the Land Registry admitted yesterday that a major review of its nationwide operation could lead to some redundancies at offices destined for closure.

The agency operates from 24 offices around the country but plans to reduce that number over the next ten years.

Two of the offices will close - in York and Harrow, London - and in those towns and cities where there are two offices, including Durham, they will be merged.

The York operation, at James House, in James Street, employs 136 people and will gradually become smaller over the coming years with its work eventually being transferred to Hull.

No exact timetable has been set, although the closure will definitely take place by 2015, when the lease on the property runs out.

Staff will be offered jobs at another office and helped to relocate or travel, particularly to Hull - 30 miles away.

Chief land registrar Peter Collis said: "We hope that all of our staff in York will be able to stay with us and we will do everything that we can to help them do this."

However, a spokesman for the agency later said that if people still remained at York and Harrow when the operations were closed, there was an "inevitability" about some level of redundancies.

In Durham, Land Registry's two offices - Boldon House, in Wheatlands Way, and Southfield House, in Southfield Way - will be merged into one.

It is likely that the location of the new office will be within one of the existing buildings, but that has yet to be finalised.

The change is expected to take place by 2010.

The offices employ 730 people, but the Land Registry has pledged that no one will face compulsory redundancy and all will be taken into the one office.

Since 1989, the Land Registry's national workforce has shrunk by 3,500 through natural wastage and now stands at about 8,500.

The reduction has followed improved processes and changes in technology.

"We need to reduce the number of local offices we have to match our lower staff numbers," said Mr Collis.

"Replacing our two offices in Durham with a single one is part of this.

"We are sure that we can do this without compulsory redundancy as staff numbers reduce naturally."

Most of the employees are members of the Public and Commercial Services union where a spokesman said yesterday the pledge of no compulsory redundancies was a "crumb of comfort", but warned of "tough talks" ahead.