Metro mayor questioned over new jobs for former Thomas Cook workers in Peterborough

Cllr Kevin Price asked Mayor Palmer how many former employees of Thomas Cook have been assisted by the combined authority into new jobs.

The question was put to at a meeting of the Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee held in Peterborough.

Mayor Palmer replied: “I respect and understand your question Cllr Price, but much as it was when I asked a similar question myself when I attended a government meeting on the matter down in London last week, the answer is not straightforward.

“I can’t give you an exact number for a variety of reasons. I asked how many people from the Peterborough office of Thomas Cook had found new employment or are still looking for work, but frustratingly the Government don’t yet have the figures to answer that question, and so we are still waiting for those numbers.

“What I would say is that Peterborough City Council and the combined authority very quickly put together a jobs fair that I know did very well.

“There were over 110 companies who approached the city council wanting to take on former employees from Thomas Cook.

“I know that many did find that fair useful and have now been taken on by other businesses, but I don’t have an exact number at this time.

“As far as I am aware there are very few people who have approached the city council looking for help and who are still unemployed.

“Obviously it has been a very, very difficult time for those people who were employed by Thomas Cook and our taskforce has been set up to make sure that we can together alleviate as many of their problems and concerns as possible in the shortest timeframe.

“One of the other problems that we have of course is that not everybody who worked for Thomas Cook at the Peterborough offices lived in Peterborough.

“So, a jobs fair in Peterborough might not necessarily be what all of them want, but we have asked that very question of the Government and as soon as I have some accurate figures I shall of course pass them on the committee members.”

Robert Alexander, Local Democracy Reporting Service