Councillors Welcome Commitment To Local Labour On Prison Construction
>> 5 January 2012
Peterhead South SNP councillors Stephen Smith and Stuart Pratt have welcomed a
commitment from building industry-giant Skanska to maximise the use of local
labour during construction of the new Peterhead Prison.
In correspondence with Cllr Stephen Smith,
Skanska advise they have a well documented track record
of local procurement of goods and services and are conscious of the number of SMEs
operating locally. Skanska have also
committed to take apprentices and offer work experience placements and to this
end have opened dialogue with Banff and Buchan College
and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
“This is good news for the Peterhead and Buchan
economy. I am keen that the number of
opportunities for local contractors to get involved, and also for local people
to benefit from the employment prospects available, are maximised.
“Certainly, at this stage, Skanska seem to be
setting about making themselves part of the community and I particularly
welcome their commitment to taking apprentices and offering work experience
placements.
“I hope that this good start can be maintained
throughout the entire project and I will be keeping in close contact with
Skanska on this matter.”
“Having fought for so long to secure the future of
the prison in Peterhead, it is vital that the local community benefits as much
as possible from this major construction contract from the Scottish Government.
“While some local councillors are content to sit
back and spread scare stories about the prisoner population and their origins,
the hard facts are that the people of Peterhead marched through the streets to
a rally in the Rescue Hall to help secure the future of their prison.
“The new prison will cater for prisoners from the
North-east and there will be increased employment opportunities for prison
staff once the new-build jail is completed.”
