Call for support following Carillion collapse
Birmingham City Council has called on the Government to ensure that the Carillion collapse does not slow the pace of economic regeneration in Birmingham
Leader of the Council Cllr Ian Ward and Cabinet Member for Jobs and Skills Cllr Brett O'Reilly have written to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Esther McVey MP, calling for her support in co-ordinating help for people affected after the UK's second biggest construction firm went into liquidation on Monday.
Cllr Ward said: "The primary concern is of course the workforce and supply chain, but Carillion was a key player in a number of major regeneration projects across Birmingham and the West Midlands and we need urgent reassurance that the delivery of those projects will not be affected.
"Major projects such as HS2 and the Metro extension are about the creation of jobs and skills. They're about improving the prospects of people across Birmingham and that must not be adversely affected by the mismanagement at Carillion."
Cllr O'Reilly added: "The city council has experience in effectively addressing similar issues, such as the collapse of MG Rover, through a taskforce approach, but we need to have greater knowledge of what is going on and to have the co-operation of public sector partners. So we've asked the government for support in co-ordinating a response to mitigate the impact on individuals and the local economy.
"There must be support for the innocent victims of this collapse and every effort must be made to maintain the training and employment routes for young people and to support any redundant workers into new jobs."
