Latest news with #AndyBurnham
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Hundreds of jobs to go in closure of UK's largest fibreglass factory
Hundreds of workers are set to lose their jobs after the owners of the UK's largest fibreglass factory announced the closure of the firm Nippon Electric Glass is to shut the plant in Hindley Green, Wigan, despite months of rescue talks with the government and local leaders. Josh Simons, Labour MP for Makerfield, said the firm had "repeatedly moved the goalposts" in discussions, while the GMB Union described the move as a "bitter betrayal" of the factory's 250-strong workforce. Nippon said "various options" had been considered over the plant's future, but the firm had decided to place its UK operation into voluntary liquidation. The announcement comes as Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is in Japan on a week long "trade mission" to promote investment into the region. Simons said Burnham is due to meet the chairman of Nippon, which began reviewing the future of the site in April, to discuss the like wind turbine blades and parts for the rail and aerospace industries are made at the factory using the lightweight material. Gary Edwards, regional organiser for GMB which represents skilled workers at the factory, said: "Everyone involved worked tirelessly to try and secure the site's future."But for every solution we found, the company presented another problem. It became hard not to question how serious they were about doing a deal.""I'm angry about that, I'm disappointed, bitterly, for the workers but that is what has kiboshed this deal."Mr Edwards said the 250 staff due to lose their jobs had been a victim of a "global trend" towards protectionism caused by uncertainty over global supply chains. 'Devastating' "They're essentially spending more money than they were offered in some of these deals in order to close the plant," said Simons. "The only way to explain that is because they want to reshore their supply chains in Japan, and that is not in the interests of my workers, it's not in the interests of Britain."Simons said the closure would be "devastating" for workers at the site, some of who had worked there for decades. He said he would fight to make sure those workers get "every bit of support they possible can" from the government and local authorities. The factory had made a loss of £12m in the year ending December 2024, according to a notice published by firm said it had decided to cease operation and enter voluntary liquidation to "quickly rebuild our composites business".It said it plans to "rebuild its production system" to improve profitability. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Andy Burnham has 'one last go' to save 250 jobs at Wigan glass factory
Andy Burnham is urging the Japanese owners of a Wigan glass factory to take 'one last look' at its decision to close, affecting 250 jobs. Nippon Electric Glass, which is the largest fibre glass factory in the UK, has made the decision to close the site in Hindley Green at a board meeting on Wednesday (June 18). It comes after efforts by the local MP and a senior minister to save the factory in Leigh Road. Greater Manchester's mayor, who is currently in Japan on a trade mission, met with the company this morning for 'one last go'. READ MORE: Huge emergency response after car goes into canal READ MORE: Man accused of murder 'fought for his life' before fatally stabbing 'trespasser', his barrister tells jury However, he did not sound hopeful. He told the Manchester Evening News: "I'm going to do my best and ask them to give it one last look." The M.E.N. understands that the Labour mayor is hoping to work with the owners to repurpose the site if the closure decision is final. Makerfield MP Josh Simons said he 'would leave no stone unturned' to help save the Leigh Road factory and enlisted help from the business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds. But in a letter to workers on Tuesday (June 17), the MP appeared to admit defeat. Commenting on the decision on Wednesday (June 18), the Labour MP said: 'Both the Government and potential buyers worked flat out to meet every condition Nippon imposed — even when those conditions changed, repeatedly, often with very little notice." Trade union GMB, which worked with Mr Simons to save the plant, said the closure is a 'bitter betrayal of workers and UK industry'. Gary Edwards, GMB Regional Organiser, said: 'This is a deeply disappointing outcome for our members, their families and the wider Wigan community. 'Everyone involved worked tirelessly to try and secure the site's future. 'But for every solution we found, the company presented another problem. It became hard not to question how serious they were about doing a deal. 'These were skilled jobs in a vital industry. GMB will stand by our members and continue to fight for real investment in UK manufacturing.' Nippon has been contacted for comment.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Grooming gang survivor says new inquiry may bring long-awaited answers
A woman who was raped by grooming gangs at the age of 12 and turned away by police when she tried to report the abuse has said victims may finally get answers in from a national inquiry into child sexual government announced the new probe, that would compel witnesses to give evidence, after report by Baroness Casey which found "far too many" perpetrators of abuse had evaded Walker-Roberts from Oldham has been calling for ministers to launch a national inquiry after she was abused by grooming gangs in the town in the 2000s. She said victims were treated like "prostitutes, or just used goods" by authorities who failed to protect them. Ms Walker-Roberts was accused of being drunk in 2006 when she tried to report the abuse at a local police then taken into a car by two men and raped, before she was driven to homes across the town and sexually assaulted by others. 'Scripted' Her experience was at the centre of a review published in 2022, that found vulnerable children in Oldham had been failed by the police and the has chosen to waive her right to anonymity, having previously been given the alias 'Sophie' in the review to protect her was commissioned by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham as part of a series of non-statutory reviews which also included Manchester and Rochdale. In some cases, former police officers, including those in senior ranks, and council officials did not appear to give evidence when asked to Walker-Roberts said "being named and shamed" for not turning up was not justice, and compelling witnesses to appear was important. "They might not tell the truth, it might be scripted, but this is the only option we've got," Ms Walker-Roberts said. She said she had been disappointed with previous inquiries, as they all ended with authorities being "unable to take further action". "I've just accepted now that I'm not going to get any more justice, but it's not going to stop me using the platform I've built to help others get what they want."Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker of Greater Manchester Police said the national inquiry and the "statutory powers this invokes to ensure accountability". Baroness Casey said she recommended a national statutory review because of the "reluctance" of local areas to do their own reviews. She said Oldham's was the only council which was willing to do a review when five local inquiries were Council Leader Arooj Shah said the authority recognised "the failings of the past" and was "determined not to repeat them". She also said child sexual abuse as perpetrated by people of all races and religions but authorities needed to do more to understand why the "pattern of abuse" was more prevalent in some groups of men."To say so is not racist. What is racist is to suggest that all Pakistani men are groomers or the implication, the suggestion, that any one community condones this behaviour – it does not."Baroness Casey's report found "disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds" were suspects in child grooming gangs, but the ethnicity of perpetrators was often not recorded by authorities. Ms Walker-Roberts, who has written a book about her experiences, said while she welcomed the national review, she believed Sir Kier Starmer had been "pushed into a corner" by Baroness Casey's was part of a group of victims who have met with ministers in the past six months to push for a full said until the new probe was announced on Saturday, "Labour had just not wanted to give us anything".Seven men were convicted last week of sexually exploiting two teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, between 2001 and 2006. Assistant Chief Constabl Parker said this was the second major investigation into grooming gangs in Rochdale, and meant 32 people had now been brought to justice for sex abuse offences in the said she wanted to reiterate an apology from the force "to all those who have been let down by GMP in the past". "We know we still have a way to go and are not complacent about the scale of what needs to be done."While we are demonstrably better, we will continue to stay true to our apology to those victims we have previously let down, reflecting on our progress, and act on scrutiny to further improve." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Making Manchester Britain's second city should be a national priority'
Manchester should be Britain's second city, a leading economist has said. Lord Jim O'Neil has called for more powers to be shifted to regions like it has in Greater Manchester. The ex-Treasury Minister, who was born in Manchester and grew up in Gatley, made the comments on a podcast recorded with Lord Speaker Lord McFall of Alcluith. On the podcast, the ex-Goldman Sachs chief economist backs calls by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham for more devolved welfare-related spending, and recommends building a 'Northern Elizabeth Line' to unlock connectivity between cities across the UK. READ MORE: 'I'm a homeless single mum, an NHS nurse and want to work full-time - but a DWP rule means I can't' READ MORE: They thought they'd never be caught, until it all went wrong During the discussion, the former Conservative government minister also advocates for powers for regions to raise local taxes. He said: "When I mention that to policymakers here, they think I'm bonkers. "And the only reason they think I'm bonkers is because it's never happened. "But because it's never happened, why does that mean it shouldn't happen?" He added: 'How can people, as well-intentioned as they may be sitting here in Whitehall, have the slightest idea about what's really needed in these local areas? It's virtually impossible. "People here (in Westminster) need to have excitement about giving responsibility to local people in these places to make a national difference. "If you could have, say, three or four other places, West Midlands, North-East, probably West Yorkshire and two or three others … if they all could be doing the same as Greater Manchester has done, and Manchester carries on doing, the national growth performance of the UK, the trend rate of growth, would rise. "Glasgow would be a place that could make a difference to the national growth performance. So I'd definitely include Glasgow." At another point in the wide-ranging discussion, Lord O'Neill said: "Thomas Heatherwick, the great young architect, said to me, 'I have this crazy idea about making Manchester the second city of the country and it being a national priority.' I said, 'You're right'." The episode is the latest in a series of Lord Speaker's Corner podcasts which has previously included Lord Heseltine, Lord Kinnock, Baroness Kidron and Lord Patten among others. The podcast is available to watch on YouTube.
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Forget party politics - directly-elected mayors for Glasgow and Edinburgh is worth considering
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Directly-elected mayors has been deployed in ten combined local authorities in England. The concept is perhaps most notable in Greater Manchester, where the process of local devolution began a decade ago. No figure is arguably more recognisable in the UK under the structure than Labour's Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Like him or loathe him, Burnham has been a powerful, influential voice for the Manchester community. Such is his influence that he was even name checked last week in the fallout of bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis announcing closure plans for its Falkirk facility at the likely cost of 400 jobs. An aerial stock view of Glasgow. The greater Glasgow region needs a directly-elected mayor and a devolution deal to avoid falling behind other large UK cities, a think-tank has recommended. Picture: Richard McCarthy/PA Wire Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar had accused John Swinney of ordering electric buses from China rather than Falkirk, and compared the decision to Mr Burnham, whom he said had been able to order around 160 vehicles directly from Alexander Dennis. It was a nod to the influence of the mayoral system. But in more practical terms, a new report from think-tank, The Centre for Cities, has put an actual figure on what having a mayor may economically mean for a city like Glasow. The organisation claims Scotland's GDP would be 4.6 per cent larger than it is now if Glasgow's economy performed in line with the average for cities its size. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Andrew Carter, chief executive of Centre for Cities, argues: 'A directly-elected mayor for the Glasgow city region would bring much-needed leadership, accountability and the ability to shape growth around the city's needs.' Two former leaders of Edinburgh and Glasgow city councils, in Donald Anderson and Steven Purcell, have likewise called for Scotland's answer to the Northern Powerhouse to be created.
