145 jobs to go as Business Link winds down
More than 140 members of staff at Business Link West Midlands (BLWM) have been told their jobs are at risk of redundancy. The organisation said it is preparing to wind down services and expects to close within the next financial year.
The Birmingham-based organisation warned 145 of its staff that jobs were to be axed. It said that 60 of its staff will remain at the headquarters until final closure.
BLWM said it will continue to operate its core information, diagnostic and brokerage business support service to clients “until the future direction of business support is confirmed in the New Year”.
It was announced earlier this year that the organisation would be forced to close following huge budget cuts by the coalition government.
Chief executive Lorraine Holmes said: “Today’s announcement is sad news for BLWM and I would like to praise the commitment and hard work of the staff, who have contributed greatly to the business success of the West Midlands and have continued to provide a highly professional service during what has been – and continues to be – a very uncertain time.
“The key message for businesses and our partners is that BLWM remains committed to providing business support to new and existing companies across the region until our closure. We will also focus on migrating the many years of knowledge we have accumulated to successor organisations.
“During the previous two years our work has resulted in the creation of more than 7,000 new jobs and an increased GVA of £484m in the businesses we have supported.
“Knowing the challenges of the job market, BLWM will also continue to support all staff through this transition period.”
