Labour has announced new help for people at risk of losing their jobs in Southampton.  A Rapid Response Service is now available to take urgent action to help local people in redundancy situations.

Welcoming the news Dr Alan Whitehead MP said:

“The impact of the economic problems, which started with the US banks, are being felt here in Southampton and we need to give real help for local people.”

“Even at this difficult time unemployment is still far below what it was in previous recessions, but that is little comfort to people worried about losing their jobs. People want immediate help if the worst happens. Now that urgent help will be there when local firms get into trouble- not just for the big employers like Ford, but also smaller firms that might otherwise be missed. I urge employers to get in touch to get this help.”

“The Labour government is offering real help for local people in tough times. I challenge Southampton City Council to play its part in offering more jobs to local people who find themselves unemployed and by working with the Rapid Response Service when local jobs are at risk.”

Everyone who finds themselves out of work today will get personal support from Jobcentre Plus which is a world away from how people were left to fend for themselves in the recessions of the 1980s and 90s. We know that when a company gets in trouble and lots of people face losing their jobs it can be devastating or a local community. Whenever they are notified of more than 20 redundancies the Rapid Response Service will work with local business and development agencies and local colleges to help people develop skills, retrain for a new job and get the support they need to get back to work as quickly as possible.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell thanked Dr Whitehead for his support and pledged to work him to ensure local people get the right help:

“Whenever someone loses their job it is a personal tragedy. We are determined to do everything we can to help people get back to work as quickly as possible. We won’t repeat the mistake of the 1990s and we will never think, like David Cameron did, that unemployment is ‘a price worth paying.”
 
“That is why we are offering real help to local people to get the training they need, more help so that people who lose their jobs need not lose their homes and real help locally whenever there is a redundancy situation. I will work with Alan Whitehead MP to make sure people in Southampton get the help they need at this difficult time.”