Businesses told to collaborate to avoid future riots
West Midlands businesses have been urged to step forward to help prevent young people getting involved in future riots.
The call was made by John Ling, chief executive of the region's education business partnership. It comes after the government and police force were heavily criticised for their tackling of the recent disorder.
Ling said the answer lies in less consultation, reducing the number of brokers looking after their own interests and the development of a plan that companies can buy into.
He said: "We have all been extremely slow to react to the troubles we saw in the summer and I class government, local councils, the third sector and business in this collective ‘we’.
"A strategy for working with young people and business volunteering has not yet been sorted and, in the meantime, a few token 'on the ground' initiatives have yet to deliver real sustainable benefit."
Ling added that the need for a region-wide charter to be put in place is "crucial" and said social media could be used to disseminate and secure buy-in from all parties.
