COVENTRY MUST REINVENT ITSELF - BURT
April 19, 2006 12:00 PM
Lorely Burt, Liberal Democrat MP for Solihull, has called on Coventry to reinvent itself following the announced 2,300 job losses at the Peugeot plant in Coventry.
Commenting on the losses, Mrs Burt, said
"It is not the fault of Peugeot workers that this company has decided to pull out of the UK. They have done everything asked of them and more.
"Coventry has great resilience as a town: it has reinvented itself several times and been a centre of excellence in lace making, bicycle manufacture and motor cycles before car manufacture.
"Coventry is now going to have to reinvent itself again, and I have no doubt that it will succeed once more.
"But, what it needs now is help to bring it to the cutting edge of new high value technologies which will bring with it new skilled and high value jobs.
"We expect Advantage West Midlands will again take a lead in helping to find new jobs. However, although 2,300 staff are being made redundant, there will be a knock-on effect for thousands more.
"Last year the Government squandered millions of pounds in trying to entice Far Eastern car manufacturers onto the Bournville site.
"This time AWM should take a more structural approach for a town now devastated by the loss of its last car plant.
"It is to be hoped that any government money will be used more productively at Ryton to find new high value industries which will require high value jobs for a skilled and productive workforce. Areas such as marine technology and medical technologies have been suggested.
"Of the 6,000 who lost jobs at Bournville, 4,000 found new ones but many were in low skilled and low pay areas."
ENDS
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