Why not employ our locals?

It appears certain sectors of industry are receiving more help from the Government than others, most noticeably the car industry and the "banksters".

Both are poorly managed by inefficient senior staff who have rewarded themselves during the good times and force people into redundancies and job losses through the tough times.

However, it's the construction trade that has largely gone unnoticed. Again, the major players have gained considerable profits whilst the poor workers have suffered.

And to make things worse it is almost impossible to get a job on any of the larger projects currently being built in Telford.

Surely, when tenders are invited, there must be clauses to allow for local labour. I'd go as far as to say it should be mandatory.

I have for three months worked on a large yoghurt factory being constructed in Telford. The main contractors were from Nottinghamshire; groundwork – Northampton; brickwork – Cambridgeshire; roofers – Germany and plumbing and heating – Stoke-on-Trent.

Electrical contractors – Burton upon Trent; wall tilers – Newcastle; painters – Scunthorpe; steel fabricators – Peterborough and sheet fabricators – Liverpool.

Why, when the same tradespeople are in Telford, and desperate for work?

Although a bricklayer myself, I took a general labouring position via an employment agency based in Manchester.

Paul Richards

Sutton Hill