Derby businesses back Bombardier
Almost 92 per cent of businesses in Derby believe the government should have awarded its £1.4bn Thameslink contract to a UK company, according to a new survey.
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce carried out the research among local firms to assess the impacts on Bombardier’s supply chain and the local economy.
More than 70 Derby businesses – employing in excess of 81,000 people in the city – took part, with 91.7 per cent saying the contract to build 1,200 carriages for the Thameslink project should have stayed in the UK.
Sixty-one per cent of businesses surveyed said the decidion would lead to lower expenditure in the local economy, while more than two-thirds (67 per cent) believe they will experience reduced sales as a direct result.
Almost a quarter of Bombardier suppliers indicated they would now try to seek contracts from Siemens, the German manufacturer which scooped the lucrative contract.
A further 44 per cent of companies say they would be interested in considering Bombardier workers facing redundancy to fill any vacancies they may have.
