Amanda Milling, Member of Parliament for Cannock Chase, is calling on local community centres, sports halls and other leisure providers to come forward to help re-home sports clubs and community groups who are currently based at Rugeley B Power Station.
On Friday 20th May ENGIE, the owners of Rugeley B Power Station, announced the plant will close in June. The closure is not only disappointing news for the station's workforce, but also the dozens of sports clubs and groups who are based at the station’s leisure facilities. Rugeley B Power Station has extensive land used for sporting activities and is a well-established home for many clubs.
Sports clubs and groups based on the site have until March 2017 to leave and the Cannock Chase MP is asking for public help re-housing the displaced groups. Amanda Milling said: “The sporting and leisure facilities at the power station are hugely important to the Rugeley community and the wider area. The site is home to everything from a social club, football pitches and tennis courts, through to a model railway. Dozens of clubs are based there and the closure of these facilities next year is causing real concern for the thousands of people who use the site every year.
I am calling on any community centre, sports centre and local authority to come forward and help the clubs find a new home.” Amanda raised the issues faced by the social club members and community groups affected in the House of Commons today, and was joined by the Deputy Leader of the House, Dr Therese Coffey MP in calling for other organisations to come forward to support all of those affected. The Cannock Chase MP raised this issue ahead of a visit to the power station on Tuesday following the confirmation that the power station will close at the end of next month.
She will be meeting the management team and trade union representatives to discuss the what more can be done to support the workforce in finding new jobs as well as plans for the site's redevelopment. Amanda added: "It is essential that we do everything we can to support all of those affected, from helping the employees and contractors find new jobs; helping community groups find new facilities and supporting the wider supply chain who are reliant on the plant. I am also calling on the site's owners and councils to ensure the existing leisure facilities are incorporated into the plans for the future of the site, as well as developments which will create new jobs and homes."
Amanda will be holding a Jobs Fair on Friday 17th June at the Rugeley Rose Theatre from 10am until 1pm, which will be an opportunity for jobseekers from the power station and the wider area to meet with employers with vacancies.
There will also be apprenticeship providers present for young people interested to doing an apprenticeship. You can watch Amanda’s question in Parliament here – http://goo.gl/Q8cVds