MP fights for jobs for Dewsbury as 1000 employees set to move
21 January 2008
Rumours that more than 1,000 council jobs could be on the move next year has prompted MP Shahid Malik to once again voice his desire for Kirklees to move office jobs to Dewsbury.The Kirklees lease on Oldgate House, which is home to around 1,000 council employees mainly in Education and Social Services, runs out in 2009 and it is widely thought that the building will be demolished to make way for phase-two of the Kingsgate shopping centre.
Shahid said: "The Kirklees lease on Oldgate House expires in 2009 and it is my understanding that the council will not renew it, nor have they yet decided where to relocate those positions currently based there. The situation presents Kirklees with a unique opportunity to redress the serious imbalance that exists by bringing those jobs to Dewsbury and in doing so giving the town the shot in the arm it so desperately needs."
Mr Malik said that the council had an office relocation strategy in place and that around £3.5m a year is budgeted for such eventualities: "Kirklees have allocated some £17m over the next five years to relocate staff to new offices and there is no reason at all why those jobs cannot be based in Dewsbury."
"This issue is not going away. People in Dewsbury and Mirfield elected me to fight their corner and that's exactly what I will continue to do in fighting to bring those jobs to Dewsbury. The presence of those departments in Dewsbury would be worth millions for traders in the town and would create a real buzz about the place."
"If Robert light refuses to even listen to proposals yet alone review the situation, then I shall write to Labour group leader Mehboob Khan, the largest group on the council, and ask that he pledges to review the situation at the very least. In just a few months time it may well be he that is making these decisions as leader of the council and not Robert Light."
Chair of Dewsbury Market Traders, Trish Makepeace, said that the move would be great news for the town: "I think I speak for a great many people who are involved in town centre life when I say that Shahid's efforts for Dewsbury are truly appreciated by all. The presence of a major Kirklees department in the town is key to kick-starting the regeneration of the town and I hope that the powers-that-be over at Huddersfield start listening to us and listening to Shahid before it's too late."