Call for government jobs to move to Friargate

[dutchman]

Geoffrey Robinson wants Whitehall jobs to be devolved to city as part of 'Greater Birmingham' plans



Government jobs should be moved to Coventry as part of the deal to create a West Midlands Combined Authority, according to a Coventry MP.

Geoffrey Robinson, Labour MP for Coventry North West, has said the idea would also help kickstart the £100million Friargate scheme next to Coventry Railway Station.

Friargate has been in the pipeline for almost a decade, but the first building has only just started to go up and, so far, only one tenant has been confirmed - Coventry City Council.

He said: “The government are very eager to push forward plans to devolve powers from Whitehall into the regions through combined authorities and elected mayors, yet they’ve not mentioned as to how many civil service jobs will be devolved to the regions, including the West Midlands.

“It’s no surprise that London is first in the queue for investment when every government department is based there.

"I want MPs from every party to support real devolution from London to places like Coventry. I want there to be more civil service and public sector jobs in the West Midlands.”

Mr Robinson said the move would save billions of pounds and was long overdue - claiming that the UK is one of the world’s most centralised countries, with central government undertaking 72 per cent of public expenditure. He compared that to 35 per cent in France and just 19 per cent in Germany.

He said: “Such a move would save billions from the sale of expensive London offices, and it would be a great opportunity to transform the way government works, bringing decisions closer to local people and enabling civil servants to find out what life is like in places like Coventry, such a move would certainly help kickstart our Friargate project.

“For me when we discuss devolution from Whitehall, devolving jobs is an important first step, yet at the moment, ministers are suspiciously quiet on devolving jobs.

“It would save taxpayers billions and distribute wealth more fairly too, transferring thousands of jobs and billions of investment from the capital to the rest of the country.”

He added: “Key institutions of the state, finance, business, broadcasting, media, culture and the arts are all concentrated in London.

“Given this imbalance, it’s no wonder that London is first in the queue for investment in so many areas from transport infrastructure to arts funding.”

[rebbonk]

It would save the country a fortune, but it'll never happen in sufficient numbers to make it worthwhile.

[dutchman]

Jobs boost for Friargate development with more than 100 people employed in 12 months



MORE than 100 jobs have been created for local people on Coventry city centre’s Friargate development over the last 12 months it has been revealed.

Friargate contractor Bowmer and Kirkland says it means it has already achieved more than 50 per cent of its target for local employment.

Additionally it has taken three times as many apprentices as it pledged to.

The news was revealed as One Friargate, the building which is set to become home Coventry City Council staff, continues to take shape.

The latest work has seen distinctive cladding added to the exterior of the building.

Bowmer and Kirkland said it has now created 106 jobs locally between September 2015 and August this year, as well as many more through the supply chain.

The contractor had aimed to create 200 local jobs during the construction of One Friargate so it has already reached more than 50 per cent of its target.

As part of its local employment drive, Bowmer & Kirkland has also created opportunities for young people by taking on 12 apprentices. Having only aimed for four apprenticeship starts at the beginning of construction, this is three times as many as it targeted.

Paul Kelly, Friargate project manager at Bowmer & Kirkland, said: “We always try our hardest to give local people first refusal on any jobs that are created as part of our schemes, and do our very best to hit our employment targets.

“At Friargate we are already more than half-way there - this is testament both to the size of the project and the strength of the local work force.

“It’s particularly pleasing to give young people the chance to learn new skills and I’ve been delighted to welcome a number of apprentices on to the site.

“Despite these fantastic figures, we are not slowing down. We are going to keep working to employ even more local people, making sure the community reaps all of Friargate’s benefits.”

A 37-acre development between Coventry railway station and the city centre, Friargate will see the creation of more than 3million sq ft of new space.

The mixed use scheme will consist of Grade A office space, two hotels, shops and new homes.

[rebbonk]

Whilst any jobs are welcome, to crow about this really is farcical.