Today in the Council Chamber as a parting shot to prior to the elections the Labour group decided they wanted to use their block vote to pick over the closure of Remploy and Remploy Pontefract in particular. They decided that politically they needed to blame the Conservatives on Wakefield Council and apparently me in particular.
So who did fail Remploy - Pontefract?
Well it certainly was not Lord Lofthouse, who fought, and kept open the Pontefract site which was recommended for closure by the Labour Government in 2008. Interestingly, our MP was very silent, perhaps little surprise there, considering she was a Minister in that Government at that time, she showed as much drive and determination as she is in relation to the Kellingley closure question. Plenty of photos of her looking glum but not much action on her part.
No, it would appear that the local Labour Party have decided that it was me and they are using the taunt at every video opportunity they get in the Council Chamber.
Interestingly the House of Commons Library published a comprehensive report on the 24/2/14
The Sayce report which triggered the initial Labour Government Remploy closures concluded that the closed factory model that was used to give disabled people employment was a poor way to help. That it was more of an investment in bricks and mortar than helping people. In the financial year 2011/12 Remploy employed more than 2,150 disabled people in its factories, but made an operating loss of £49.5 million.
At the same time Remploy Employment Services still offer face-to-face advice and support to disabled jobseekers through its 64 branches in city and town centres around the UK, as well as working with employers. In 2012/13, Remploy found 17,835 jobs in mainstream employment for “disabled and disadvantaged people”, including 14,700 for disabled people.
Pontefract was selected for closure in 2008 and again in 2012 because it was judged that it could only function with a subsidy that meant a reduction in money available to support other disabled jobseekers.
The local Labour Party and GMB Union in 2011 set out resist the closure. In a debate in the Council Chamber, Cllr Travis the Union's representative on the Council said that the Pontefract plant had work that made it viable. We asked to see the figures and business plan that backed that up and undertook to make representations of the business case to Government Ministers with a view to see if we could make the case to keep the factory open. No figures or plan were forthcoming. At a further meeting where an item was put forward to discuss Remploy I repeated the offer.
To this day there have been no figures or plan put forward and I am starting to wonder if there was ever the case they spoke of. Now it seems that the controlling group on the council see this as their electoral strategy to deliver six Labour Councillors for Pontefract.
Local people in Pontefract know me better than the Labour Group do.
So back to the question who did fail Remploy Pontefract? If there really was a business case we could have helped if given the chance. So by politicking in the Council Chamber and not following through, Cllr Travis and his Labour Group colleagues used a national closure programme in an attempt to score political advantage, but failed the people they were claiming to help.
As the Leader of the Council has said from time to time, "Thats Politics"
So who did fail Remploy - Pontefract?
Well it certainly was not Lord Lofthouse, who fought, and kept open the Pontefract site which was recommended for closure by the Labour Government in 2008. Interestingly, our MP was very silent, perhaps little surprise there, considering she was a Minister in that Government at that time, she showed as much drive and determination as she is in relation to the Kellingley closure question. Plenty of photos of her looking glum but not much action on her part.
No, it would appear that the local Labour Party have decided that it was me and they are using the taunt at every video opportunity they get in the Council Chamber.
Interestingly the House of Commons Library published a comprehensive report on the 24/2/14
The Sayce report which triggered the initial Labour Government Remploy closures concluded that the closed factory model that was used to give disabled people employment was a poor way to help. That it was more of an investment in bricks and mortar than helping people. In the financial year 2011/12 Remploy employed more than 2,150 disabled people in its factories, but made an operating loss of £49.5 million.
At the same time Remploy Employment Services still offer face-to-face advice and support to disabled jobseekers through its 64 branches in city and town centres around the UK, as well as working with employers. In 2012/13, Remploy found 17,835 jobs in mainstream employment for “disabled and disadvantaged people”, including 14,700 for disabled people.
Pontefract was selected for closure in 2008 and again in 2012 because it was judged that it could only function with a subsidy that meant a reduction in money available to support other disabled jobseekers.
The local Labour Party and GMB Union in 2011 set out resist the closure. In a debate in the Council Chamber, Cllr Travis the Union's representative on the Council said that the Pontefract plant had work that made it viable. We asked to see the figures and business plan that backed that up and undertook to make representations of the business case to Government Ministers with a view to see if we could make the case to keep the factory open. No figures or plan were forthcoming. At a further meeting where an item was put forward to discuss Remploy I repeated the offer.
To this day there have been no figures or plan put forward and I am starting to wonder if there was ever the case they spoke of. Now it seems that the controlling group on the council see this as their electoral strategy to deliver six Labour Councillors for Pontefract.
Local people in Pontefract know me better than the Labour Group do.
So back to the question who did fail Remploy Pontefract? If there really was a business case we could have helped if given the chance. So by politicking in the Council Chamber and not following through, Cllr Travis and his Labour Group colleagues used a national closure programme in an attempt to score political advantage, but failed the people they were claiming to help.
As the Leader of the Council has said from time to time, "Thats Politics"
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