Redcar MP Anna Turley has slammed a new London-based government post leading the SSI site regeneration, calling it ‘sick joke’.
The Government are recruiting for a ‘Project Lead for the Tees Valley’s Mayoral Development Corporation’.
According to the job advert, ‘the key focus of this role will be to set the direction for, and deliver, a new Mayoral Development Corporation covering the former SSI site.’
It says the job will be London based and ‘can include occasional trips to Tees Valley’.
Anna said:
“This job will be a leading position overseeing the regeneration of the steelworks site. A big challenge that is crucial to bringing decent jobs to our area. Why on earth, then, is it based in London? With only occasional trips to Teesside? Its a sick joke when this site, and thousands of jobs, could have been saved if central government ministers and civil servants had acted in the first place.
“We have a lot of talented people in our region with the knowledge and experience to take on a role like this. It makes me mad that so few of these posts are based outside of London.
“The people working on this project need to be here on the ground, not hidden away in an office in Whitehall. So much for devolution. The Tees Valley Mayor should immediately take this up with his colleagues in government.”