Statement on MG Rover

This year, the General Election in Northfield and in many parts of the West Midlands region was inevitably overshadowed by events at MG Rover. Through the mechanisms set up by the Government Task Force, we all have a continuing responsibility to help those who have lost their jobs both at MG Rover and in the businesses dependent on it and to identify new opportunities in both employment and retraining. We need to provide advice and support for the families of those affected – building on the excellent work already being done by Gemma Cartwright and other partners of MG Rover workers. And we need to look to how we can build a new future for our community in South West Birmingham. Part of that will involve identifying the physical opportunities for regeneration, many of which were being worked on before the Rover collapse – from a Technology park on the Longbridge site, to pushing for development of Longbridge station into a Park and Ride facility, and to the potential for breathing new life to the Northfield shopping area allied to the construction of the new Relief Road. But most importantly, we need to make sure we invest in our people, creating the skills and encouraging the ambition which can take our community forward.