Cable to set up Task Force in Derby
Business secretary Vince Cable has announced plans to set up an Economic Task Force in Derby. The proposal comes after trainmaker Bombardier revealed it would shed 1,400 jobs in the city.
Cable said the Task Force will look to "mitigate the economic impact" of job losses at Bombardier, its supply chain and the local communities.
The job cuts were announced after the government selected German manufacturer Siemens to carry out its lucrative £1.2bn Thameslink contract over Derby-based Bombardier.
The Task Force will be headed up by Margaret Gildea OBE, who runs Organisation Change Solutions, the human resources spin-out from Rolls-Royce.
Representatives from Derby City Council, Derby City College and the Skills Funding Agency will also be involved.
Cable said he was "disappointed" with Bombardier’s decision to axe more than 900 permanent staff and 330 temporary jobs.
He said: "This will be a very worrying time for the workers and their families. I have asked Margaret Gildea OBE to set up a Task Force to work with Bombardier, BIS Local and other local partners in Derby. Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, and I recently wrote to the PM to highlight the issue of public procurement and how we should manage the process in the public sector to sustain a competitive supply base that meets the UK’s strategic needs within EU procurement rules.
"We recognise that there is a need to examine the wider issue of whether the UK is making best use of the application of the EU procurement rules. The government will now look at this area in the next phase of the growth review."
