The Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, visited the Builders Merchants Federation's headquarters in Coventry for talks on jobs, regional growth and the pressures facing the region's building materials supply chain.
The Mayor was welcomed by John Newcomb, BMF CEO, and Brett Amphlett, Policy and Public Affairs Manager. Mayor Parker set out his focus on the "everyday economy" and on creating "good" jobs, highlighting a £75 million fund to create and train 12,000 jobs across the construction sector to help tackle regional shortages, as part of his Building Growth Action Plan.
The discussion also covered the impact of new UK steel tariffs and quotas on West Midlands SMEs. Jonathan Thacker, Operations Director at The Walsall Wheelbarrows Company, a BMF member, joined the discussion to explain the effect on his business. Mayor Parker said he is compiling a shortlist of priority issues facing the region, including the impact of steel tariffs, to raise with senior figures in Westminster in the coming weeks,
John Newcomb said: "It was a pleasure to welcome Mayor Parker to discuss the importance of the building materials supply chain to the West Midlands economy. His focus on good jobs and opportunities for young people, and his willingness to take our sector's concerns directly to government, is exactly the engagement our members want to see."
